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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Partial read only read first story. An excellent short story with a very different twist of the vampire tale. I plan of reading the rest soon.
The fifth star is purely for 'Reeling for Empire' which is perhaps the best short story I have ever read (is this just because it connects insects and feminism and resistance to empire? I can't prove otherwise). But I was charmed by all of these stories - presidents who become horses, vampires with fear of heights, seagulls who nest in regrets.
Sometimes amid the uncanny and creepiness something is left out. Can you write frontier settler horror without ever mentioning indigenous genocide? Can you write about war-vet ptsd without bringing up violence done to civilians in occupied territory? Sometimes the hauntings seem to stop short of the actual horror in the world, wrapped back up into safer, whiter topics. (Except for Reeling for Empire, which reaches into the depths of something).
But these pieces still hold weight. Russell is playful but not frivolous when she tells a world full of eerie minds that aren't human. We live in an uncanny, more-than-human world. Russell is only being realistic.
Sometimes amid the uncanny and creepiness something is left out. Can you write frontier settler horror without ever mentioning indigenous genocide? Can you write about war-vet ptsd without bringing up violence done to civilians in occupied territory? Sometimes the hauntings seem to stop short of the actual horror in the world, wrapped back up into safer, whiter topics. (Except for Reeling for Empire, which reaches into the depths of something).
But these pieces still hold weight. Russell is playful but not frivolous when she tells a world full of eerie minds that aren't human. We live in an uncanny, more-than-human world. Russell is only being realistic.
One story was interesting but the rest were pretty boring
I think I was reading this at the wrong time. I didn't give it the time and care it deserved. I'll probably try it again when I can slow down and stay with it.
The 8 short stories are overall good. The 1st short story Vampires in the Lemon Grove is one of my favorites and I assumed most of the short stories would be similar. As I read on they became a bit more dark, and macabre. There are Presidents Horses, Antarctic Tailgaiting, and Women who become Silkworms. Karen Russell writes very vividly and you feel for the characters in the stories.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After reading Orange World and Other Stories, I was determined to read Russell's first short story collection to see what she would come up with. What she came up with was really fucking weird shit, but really fucking weird shit that I had a shit ton of fun reading. Her writing was fun, diverse, and engaging, the stories were interesting, and this was a really strong collection overall. Of course, as per usual for me reviewing short story collections, I will give my brief thoughts regarding each story to better illustrate my point. Let's begin!
"Vampires in the Lemon Grove"-sadly, this was the weakest story for me. Not because it was poorly written, but because of personal bias. I am not a vampire fan, in fact vampires are one of my least favorite mythological creatures, and I can't shake that bias. That being said, I loved the discussions of monster myth, how rumors can shape someone's perceptions of themselves, and how important fear can be for someone struggling with their identity. Overall, not a bad story, just my least favorite.
"Reeling for the Empire"-this was hands down my favorite story. The body horror, the transformations, the story, the messages of sisterhood, unity, and rising up, I loved all of it. Also, may I say that Russell is truly one of kind for writing a female empowerment story that a) doesn't involve unnecessary girl hating, b) doesn't rely on man hating, and c) showed true comradery among women. Take notes, authors! This is how you do it RIGHT!
"The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979"-this is one of the few stories where I was kind of confused as to what the point was, but I really liked the eerie atmosphere and discussions of helpless and feeling caged inside an unhealthy home life. Also, this story definitively proves that seagulls are assholes.
"Proving Up"-holy SHIT, this was a disturbing story! The descriptive language was so damn creepy it gave me literal chills. The message behind this one was painful too, almost implying a vicious cycle for landowners. And that ending, guys, wow that ending made me want more and yet I was glad it ended when it did...holy shit...
"The Barn at the End of Our Term"-a story in which past US presidents are reincarnated as horses. I don't think I can do this story any justice, so I'm gonna leave it at that.
"Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating"-this was just straight up fun and funny! I feel like Russell had a lot of fun writing this story, and it shows! A nice break from all the doom and gloom from earlier stories.
"The New Veterans"-a story that thrives off of the conflicted feelings of the main character and the inherent conflicting feelings that arise from it subject matter. Once again, the descriptive language is incredible and while this was a difficult story to read, it was definitely worth it.
"The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis"-probably my second favorite story out of the collection and an excellent ending story for the collection. Having been bullied from preschool to high school, I thoroughly enjoy stories where the bullies have to atone for their crimes, and I LOVED how Larry had to atone for his. The scarecrow was an awesome object to provide an unsettling atmosphere and suspense, but was an effective metaphorical tool as well. This was just an awesome story that gave me perverse satisfaction from start to finish.
Final thoughts: while not as awesomely amazing as Orange World and Other Stories, this was still an incredible short story collection. I would highly recommend any horror, suspense, or short story fan to pick up this collection, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
"Vampires in the Lemon Grove"-sadly, this was the weakest story for me. Not because it was poorly written, but because of personal bias. I am not a vampire fan, in fact vampires are one of my least favorite mythological creatures, and I can't shake that bias. That being said, I loved the discussions of monster myth, how rumors can shape someone's perceptions of themselves, and how important fear can be for someone struggling with their identity. Overall, not a bad story, just my least favorite.
"Reeling for the Empire"-this was hands down my favorite story. The body horror, the transformations, the story, the messages of sisterhood, unity, and rising up, I loved all of it. Also, may I say that Russell is truly one of kind for writing a female empowerment story that a) doesn't involve unnecessary girl hating, b) doesn't rely on man hating, and c) showed true comradery among women. Take notes, authors! This is how you do it RIGHT!
"The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979"-this is one of the few stories where I was kind of confused as to what the point was, but I really liked the eerie atmosphere and discussions of helpless and feeling caged inside an unhealthy home life. Also, this story definitively proves that seagulls are assholes.
"Proving Up"-holy SHIT, this was a disturbing story! The descriptive language was so damn creepy it gave me literal chills. The message behind this one was painful too, almost implying a vicious cycle for landowners. And that ending, guys, wow that ending made me want more and yet I was glad it ended when it did...holy shit...
"The Barn at the End of Our Term"-a story in which past US presidents are reincarnated as horses. I don't think I can do this story any justice, so I'm gonna leave it at that.
"Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating"-this was just straight up fun and funny! I feel like Russell had a lot of fun writing this story, and it shows! A nice break from all the doom and gloom from earlier stories.
"The New Veterans"-a story that thrives off of the conflicted feelings of the main character and the inherent conflicting feelings that arise from it subject matter. Once again, the descriptive language is incredible and while this was a difficult story to read, it was definitely worth it.
"The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis"-probably my second favorite story out of the collection and an excellent ending story for the collection. Having been bullied from preschool to high school, I thoroughly enjoy stories where the bullies have to atone for their crimes, and I LOVED how Larry had to atone for his. The scarecrow was an awesome object to provide an unsettling atmosphere and suspense, but was an effective metaphorical tool as well. This was just an awesome story that gave me perverse satisfaction from start to finish.
Final thoughts: while not as awesomely amazing as Orange World and Other Stories, this was still an incredible short story collection. I would highly recommend any horror, suspense, or short story fan to pick up this collection, I doubt you'll be disappointed.
I didn't like how each story had an ambiguous ending
favourites:
vampires in the lemon grove
reeling for the empire
favourites:
vampires in the lemon grove
reeling for the empire
Perhaps I should have started off with a different Karen Russell book as an introduction to the author and her writing? This collection consists of eight short stories that are very unique but are all very very infuriating, not in their stories but in their conclusions because there are no conclusions! The stories in Vampires in the Lemon Grove start out very well, the writing style is absolutely fantastic, and each story is so vastly different and intriguing but they all left me wanting more, because each story felt like it ended abruptly, and there were never any answers. So overall, I'm a little unsure about how I feel.
But
my favourites of the eight were:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove - 3/5
Reeling for the Empire - 5/5
The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach - 5/5
The Barn at the End of Our Term - 4/5
The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis - 4/5
But
my favourites of the eight were:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove - 3/5
Reeling for the Empire - 5/5
The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach - 5/5
The Barn at the End of Our Term - 4/5
The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis - 4/5
dark
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There was a pretty wide spread of voices and narratives in this series of short stories. The feeling of uncanny runs through them all very heavily. The magical realism seeps into the cracks of the stories sort of gluing them together. Below are my rating per story:
Vampires in the Lemon Grove - 5/5 (strangely heartwarming?)
Reeling for the Empire - 5/5 (absolutely horrifying feminine rage)
The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach 1979 - 3/5 (Between the homunculus and the time traveling birds, I was a little lost)
The Barn at the End of Our Term - 4/5 (I found this HILARIOUS)
Proving Up - DNF (Not the vibes I was searching for)
Dougbert Scheckleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating - 4/5 (Also pretty funny)
The New Veterans - 2/5 (Again, totally lost here)
The Graveless Doll or Eric Mutis - 5/5 (Really turned around at the halfway point, strangely stuck with me)
Vampires in the Lemon Grove - 5/5 (strangely heartwarming?)
Reeling for the Empire - 5/5 (absolutely horrifying feminine rage)
The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach 1979 - 3/5 (Between the homunculus and the time traveling birds, I was a little lost)
The Barn at the End of Our Term - 4/5 (I found this HILARIOUS)
Proving Up - DNF (Not the vibes I was searching for)
Dougbert Scheckleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating - 4/5 (Also pretty funny)
The New Veterans - 2/5 (Again, totally lost here)
The Graveless Doll or Eric Mutis - 5/5 (Really turned around at the halfway point, strangely stuck with me)