This is Salvaged by Vauhini Vara

Author: Vauhini Vara

*First Edition*

Genre: Short Stories, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Anthologies

Synopsis:

Stories of uncanny originality from a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction Pushing intimacy to its limits in prose of unearthly beauty, Vauhini Vara explores the nature of being a child, parent, friend, sibling, neighbor, or lover, and the relationships between self and others.

A young girl reads the encyclopedia to her elderly neighbor, who is descending into dementia. A pair of teenagers seek intimacy as phone-sex operators. A competitive sibling tries to rise above the drunken mess of her own life to become a loving aunt. One sister consumes the ashes of another. And, in the title story, an experimental artist takes on his most ambitious project constructing a life-size ark according to the Bible’s specifications. In a world defined by estrangement, where is communion to be found? The characters in This Is Salvaged , unmoored in turbulence, are searching fervently for meaning, through one another.

Format: Hardcover, 208 pages

Awards: Colorado Book Award for Short Story (2024), Joyce Carol Oates Prize for None (2024)

Goodreads Rating: 3.67

*This book is pre-loved, but has been carefully looked through to ensure it is not missing any pages and is in good condition. All visible flaws have been documented in the product photos.