Anthony Varallo

If you're a rabid fan of flash fiction, then you will love MOST of Anthony Varallo's latest collection, WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY? And the "MOST" is only because a few of these pieces veer off into standard short story length, which to my mind makes them even better, because Varallo is a proven master of the short story form. I know because I've read two of his four collections, THIS DAY IN HISTORY and OUT LOUD (as well as his novel, THE LINES), and they were outstanding. Me, I'm kinda lukewarm on flash fiction, but the ones here are fine. Some left me chuckling ("Overheard" and, say, , "Tell Me and Tell Me True"), there are a couple wincers ("That Night, That Morning" and "Cake"), and a maybe a head-scratcher or two ("Retail" and "Hotel"). But my favorite here is not "flashy" at all. It's a real short story called "First Everything" about Katherine and Carlton and their mutual first forays into dating and sex and all that goes with these things. I loved that story. I guess I prefer stories with some detail, and characters with some depth, fiction with some meat on its bones. This one and the last - and longest - one, "Hey, Me," are proof positive that Varallo's still got it. Short story maestro. Thanks, Tony. Keep writing. I'll keep reading. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (mais)

This young man Anthony Varallo has some first class writing chops. First I read his brand new novel, THE LINES, which I found deeply affecting - a portrait of a family torn open by divorce. Then I read OUT LOUD, a story collection that was equally good, and yeah, children of divorce figured prominently. And now I've read this first book of Varallo atories, THI DAY IN HISTORY. And once again, I loved 'em. His portrayals of young boys on the very cusp of manhood are just dead on. Bravo, Mr Varallo! Very highly recommended. (Now I've got to find his other two books.)

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (mais)

Anthony Varallo is one of those writers no one's ever heard of. And, at least in Varallo's case, that's a pity. Because he is just so damn GOOD! A couple weeks ago I read his first novel, THE LINES (coming soon), and it simply blew me away with its heartrending depiction of a family pulled apart by divorce.

OUT LOUD (2008) is a collection of short stories, and once again divorce plays a prominent role, in almost every story. In "Toro" we have a seven year-old boy struggling to mow a lawn gone to tall grass and weeds in his father's absence, realizing in the process that the house he shares now with just his mother is not the safe, sturdy "fortress" he once thought it was. And the snippet-like sections of "The Summer He Was Seven" will break your heart with their matter-of-factness. For example -

"At his father's new apartment, the bedroom and the kitchen were in the same room, although you couldn't sleep in the kitchen or eat in the bedroom."

In "Like That" we meet Caitlin, fifty-six, divorced, one grown daughter, lonely and recently retired -

"She had wanted to be married (done), have a child (check), and ease into her middle years with a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment (OK, OK, two out of three). So what next?"

Yeah. Like that. And in the final story, "The Island," there's Graham, another lonely little boy, living with his mother and 'the boyfriend,' who gets himself off to school, and, after school, waiting on a darkened corner, is seen wondering and "afraid no one would come."

Anthony Varallo has a rare talent, and these are good stories - VERY good stories. My highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER… (mais)