Under the Radar

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.