Think of Me and I'll Know: Stories
A sure sign of a great short story is when, at the end of it, you want the story to go on. That’s just what happens with Some Other Life, the first tale in Varallo’s third collection. Mira’s job and relationship ennui heighten her imagination but leave readers wondering what is real. Most of Varallo’s characters are young and make all the dumb and maybe even dumber mistakes each generation makes. They dwell in too much self-centeredness and worry about what others might think and indulge in a whole lot of deception to cover all these insecurities up. There’s the pretentious college boyfriend in The Nature and Aim of Fiction whose high-school girlfriend isn’t mature enough to call his bluff, and the sweet-natured 11-year-old Jonas in No One at All who lets his dominating friend rule. In fact, a lot of Varallo’s characters are in relationships with people who are no good for them or just plain no good. Some readers will wholly identify with them, while others will wish they could shake some sense into them. --Laurie Borman