In ten stories, Vara describes the gamut of human predicaments and their corresponding emotional states: grief, isolation, obsession, shame, courage, and rage.
Each story exists in isolation, but numerous stories mirror each other. Grief in response to losing a sister is apparent in “Hormone Hypothesis” and in “Eighteen Girls.” The unnamed character in “Hormone Hypothesis,” who is unconsciously looking for a sister figure, finds Fernanda. Though this stay-at-home mother is the narrator’s opposite, the two bond and find strength in their shared grief.
A complementary story, “Eighteen Girls,” features two sisters, one of whom is slowly dying of cancer. The “eighteen girls” of the title are the same girl—the healthy girl reacting to her sister’s forceful personality.
“The Irates” and “I, Buffalo” deal self-hatred and shame. In “The Irates” a teen finds the world irretrievably altered after her much-loved brother dies. She works a job she detests—telemarketing—and becomes a person she hates—an “irate.” Sheila, the main character of “I, Buffalo” has lost her high-stakes job after an embarrassing incident. Vara brilliantly describes emotional states, especially isolation.
In “This is Salvaged,” a man has the lonely experience of trying to build a replica of Noah’s ark and in “Sibyls” a woman with a movie star’s name dies unnoticed.
This is Salvaged is a compelling short story collection that visits aspects of the human condition with humor and nuance.
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