Under the Radar - by Rosalia Scalia (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Rosalia Scalia's UNDER THE RADAR, her second short story collection, offers a poignant look at characters grappling with grief and loss in various forms. Each story reveals the raw emotions-anger, numbness, confusion-that accompany their journeys, as they navigate a world seemingly oblivious to their pain. In the title story, set in the 1970s, we follow Hope and Kenny, a young couple whose plans to marry are shattered when Kenny reveals he's gay. "All the Small Joys" explores the clash between two sisters debating whether their mother should be buried with a mink stole or one sister's dog's ashes. In "Static Electricity," adult twins must confront the devastating loss of their mother, an art teacher killed in a school shooting. "Butterfly Moments" focuses on Pearl, who grieves the death of her Marine son, killed by friendly fire, while harboring resentment toward his fiancée, who knew parts of his life Pearl never did. Throughout the collection, Scalia masterfully portrays the characters' struggle to find resilience in the face of overwhelming loss.

Review Quotes

• "In her latest collection, Rosalia Scalia cements her reputation as an astute observer of American life -- nobody can capture the nuances of love, trauma, grief, and struggle with the same depth. She is a writer who, even as she highlights the flaws of her characters, loves them unconditionally - and so will you." --Susan Muaddi Darraj

• Rosalia's twenty-one stories in her newest collection, "Under the Radar," sweep the reader into the lives of people we may stride past every day and seldom give a second thought. But here they are, thoughtfully, compassionately depicted and worth every minute of our time. With a big heart and keen eye, Rosalia Scalia brings to life an impressively diverse universe of humanity whose stories remind us that we are our best selves when we pay careful attention.--Ron Tanner, author of "Far West"

• Kudos to Rosalia Scalia for assembling a cast of wildly eccentric characters and the sparks they ignite. These 21 stories are a cornucopia of school shootings, bigots, struggling immigrants, dead pets, AIDS, cancer, aging parents, gay marriage, funerals, disabilities, disasters, and domestic fury. Yet, despite family foibles and mayhem, Scalia heart's Baltimore big time--the city's newcomers, underdogs, and all the small joys therein. -Richard Peabody, editor, Gargoyle Magazine

• "Love Shines from her face as she smiles at us," Rosalia Scalia tells us in one of her stories in her powerful collection, Under the Radar. Yes, love shines, and does many other always surprising and highly moving acts of superb artistry everywhere in these dramatic and completely convincing stories. The storyteller as magician and performance artist, always leading her reader somewhere new and often enough startlingly familiar. Yes, we live in a world of school shootings and betrayal of every kind, where twins couldn't be more different in every way, and a simple burger joint houses one wonder after the next. The craft and use of persona is perfect, but it's Scalia's heart that this reader will remember most. Generous of spirit and mind doesn't come close to describing her gifts, but they make for a good start. --Philip Schultz