This Day in History

By: Anthony Varallo

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Synopsis: On the verge of maturity -- where parents are distant or absent, friendships are often more accidental than deliberate, and restless angst is common -- Anthony Varallo's adolescent protagonists dissect the world, and their place in it, with keen perception. "This Day in History" deftly collects their moments of discovery. In the first of Varallo's twelve stories, the narrator confesses how a birthday party for an unpopular classmate reveals an adult world both familiar and utterly strange. In subsequent stories a young girl longs to be a part of her best friend's family, only to discover the family is less than ideal; two sisters recall the childhood houses they grew up -- and apart -- in, places inseparable from each woman's notion of the other; and a mother and son set off on a bold and hopeless errand, their suburban neighborhood momentarily transformed into a stage. As these children stand on the brink of adulthood, unsure how to move forward, striving to make sense of the world around them, they often discover that the distance between themselves and others is not nearly as great as they first imagined. Funny, sad, and hopeful, Varallo's stories make a gentle argument for connection and community and, in doing so, seek to extend our sympathy toward the world.