Inside each strange but recognizable story in This Is Salvaged you’ll find lines that knock you flat and emotions that bend back on themselves. Amid grief for a dead sibling, there is labial sweat and the solemn rite of washing a loved one’s face and sackballs; in the dark, a drunk aunt crawls toward her sleeping niece with near-religious reverence for the little pile of her body; an artist gets a grant to build a replica of Noah’s ark but doesn’t finish before the funds dry up. What led to so many underlines in my copy, though, was Vara’s loose philosophy around the roles and connection shared by the women going in and out of her stories, which feeds into zippy, spirited, and touching moments. –JM

Didn't love this. I'm very particular when it comes to short stories. I want every story to stand on its own and to have an impact on its own. The stories here didn't leave much of an impact on me, though. I can usually tell a short story didn't work for me when I finish it and my immediate though is "that's it?" or "what was the point?"--and that was unfortunately the case here.

Meandering from the real to the surreal, each story’s electric prose highlights the absurdities and beauties of human interaction. Through aching portrayals of grief and hope, Pulitzer- finalist Vauhini Vara has crafted collection that is quietly unsettling and remarkably poignant. I included this title in my fall reading guide.

AHHHHH! I am so thankful to W.W. Norton and Company, Vauhini Vara, and Netgalley for sending me both a physical and digital copy of This is Salvaged before this baby hit shelves. I'm a slut for horror books and this one absolutely slayed my expectations.

This is Salvaged is a collection highlighting different relationships that was a bit of a mixed success for me (as many collections are). While I struggled to find a through line between the stories, there were some I enjoyed. In I Buffalo, a sister welcomes her family over and attempts to portray that she has her life together, all while her guests are trying to figure out what that smell is. Two women bond after moving to a new town in The Hormone Hypothesis. In the title story, an artist has plans to create a replica ark using the unhoused community to build, and the ending is such an interesting way of harkening back to the title. And in What Next, a mother brings her adult daughter to meet her biological father who she has lied to her about.

Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

Judging a short story collection is always difficult because I have a strong opinion on each of the stories I read and my thoughts, as much as I can summarize them, are always heterogeneous. This book seems like the exception to me, though. The strong point of this collection is by far the fact that each individual story was so different to the other ones, yet completely suited the theme that the author was tying all her tales to. I love when all the entities of the short stories can be tied together so that when you look back at the collection, you have feelings for each of the stories but also the whole work in itself. I think it showed a great control of her writing and it was incredible to witness. “I, Buffalo” and “What Next” are my favorite ones, and I surprise myself thinking about them from time to time, even a while after I finished reading them. It is the first time a short story collection is as philosophical as it is suspenseful and it hooked me from start to finish. I really liked the different themes that were brought up as well as what I saw as the main theme, grief. The writing was also very lyrical and quite unique, which made the voices of the character so much more realistic and believable. Not every story was lovable or perfect, but all their message were pertinent and interesting. Overall, this is a great collection because of it’s consistency in theme exploration as well as execution and through the originality of each story and its statements. Vara is one to keep your eyes open for in the future. I give this one a 4.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the advance digital copy in exchange of my honest opinion.

I've been waiting for Vauhini Vara to publish a short story collection since I read her story "Puppet Master Made the Puppets" in McSweeney's in 2017. It's one of my favorite stories of all time, and I have forced upwards of 50 people to read it—no exaggeration.

"The Irates," the first story in this collection, is incredible. It might be my favorite Vauhini Vara story I've read so far. I'm surprised that it hasn't been published in the New Yorker or Paris Review—maybe that's coming closer to the pub date? Anyway, it's breathtaking, and I loved it.

A lot of the shorter stories in this collection disappointed me. They felt like filler. "Unknown Unknowns," "The Hormone Hypothesis," "The Eighteen Girls." They had good moments, but they weren't full stories. "The Eighteen Girls" covered a lot of the same ground as "The Irates," but "The Irates" did it much better.

I have to say—what on earth happened to "Puppet Master"? Like I said, I loved the version that was published in McSweeney's. I've read it many, many times. The version in my ARC wasn't extremely different, but somehow it had lost all its magic! The original "Puppet Master" was subtle, mysterious, shocking—it invited rereading. The new version doesn't have the same effect, and that effect was everything! Is it too late to change it back before September 26, I wonder?

"You Are Not Alone" reads like an earlier effort—it's nowhere near the same league as "The Irates" or the original "Puppet Master." "I, Buffalo" is the second best story in this collection (it would be third best if they published the original "Puppet Master"). The other stories are fine. Not sure why "This Is Salvaged" gets to be the title story? The Irates and Other Stories—don't you like the sound of that?

I really loved This is Salvaged; the stories were well-written, beautiful, and funny at times. I appreciated the approach to grief and loss.

Short stories are often hit or miss and this was a major hit. Each individual story was like a punch. I literally cant stop thinking about the depiction of grief in "The Irates" which is the first story in the book. This was a series of quite honestly sorta dark or at least real seeming stories that made me uncomfortable in a good way. Many stories felt as if they we're daring me to look away and at the same time were so compelling that I couldn't help but keep reading. I really liked this and would recommend it, especially if you're looking for Asian authors to look into.

Thank you to NetGalley, W. W Norton and Company, and Vauhini Vara for this digital ARC.

This Is Salvaged
Stories
by Vauhini Vara

A book of short stories, but BIG thoughts and great stories. I loved the variety, and how I felt them, not just read them. Some I had to stop after and think about them. I LOVED this writer and how the stories painted a picture.

This is a lovely little collection of short stories. Each has a sense of loneliness and insecurity, but also wanting to belong and find meaning. There’s an intense look at grief and finding hope in the darkest of times. After finishing a majority of the stories, I just wanted to stare at the wall and think about what I read.

Every story was at least 4 stars on their own. My favorites were Unknown Unknowns, Eighteen Girls, and The Hormone Hypothesis. The stories at a surface level are enjoyable, but truly feel personal and emotional. There were such tender and heart-wrenching moments, but it was interspersed with laughs that provided relief. I was a little unsure what to expect going into this, but I loved every second. I definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, W. W Norton and Company, and Vauhini Vara for this digital ARC. My opinions are freely given. Pub date September 26, 2023