A review by everie
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really interesting! Russell's writing brings it to life with an incredible amount of detail. I love Ava's stubborness, and Ossie's excitement about FINALLY being the expert on something for once (a moldy spellbook and her ghost boyfriends), and Kiwi's SAT words (mispronounced and used so much people look at you funny, very relatable).

That said, it would have been great if it was a little better paced. The journey through the swamps are a slog
because as soon as they start, you know what's going to happen, because what always happens in stories with a vulnerable girl and a strange man? So you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It really takes away from the beauty of the swamp, or the stories about the messed up things we've done to Florida people and nature. And then it happens. Sigh. Every time.
Also, for being such a big focus of the story, Ossie
was a real Princess Peach. She's barely in it, and in the end it's not Ava who saves her or some random chain of events or strangers, which would have been more realistic, but Kiwi who swoops in on a literal plane? I was glad she wasn't dead, but what arc does Ossie have? And then the book ends.


So yes, strong start, good middle, starts to wander (but maybe my dread and exhaustion re: a certain plot point was coloring it), and then it ends. Interesting!
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