LE PORTRAIT MAGAZINE MARCH-SEPTEMBER ISSUE | Page 7

expansion they have no sensory evidence of, though astronomy and
physics attests to it. As long as that feeling of unease lingers, these
stories will remain primary, true.

Refund by Karen E. Bender
What is your life worth? What is any life worth? These are provocative
questions that hover over Refund by Karen E. Bender–a Finalist for the
National Book Award—a collection of stories that ultimately explores
the emotional and economic devastation in the country since 9/11. In
“Anything for Money” we see these questions examined through a most
modern vehicle: a television game show. The wealthy producer of a
show that watches people put themselves in awkward (and often
debasing) situations for money finally learns the limits of what his great
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