Review: Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Review: Vampires in the Lemon Grove
Author: Karen Russell
Genre: Short Stories
Publisher: Knopf
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Rating: 4.75/5

Have you ever held off finishing a story because you were too afraid to do so?  Has that ever happened eight times in a row?  That’s what happened with me as I read Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell.  The aforementioned book is a collection of eight short stories.  Each varying in genres.  You get a little bit of a western, vampire, science fiction, humor, and contemporary drama.  There’s something for everyone.

I can honestly say that the stories get progressively better.  The first short story, the namesake of the novel, put me in Russell’s groove.  She has a way of leading you to conclusions; letting your mind fill in the blanks.  I suppose Russell’s signature is to leave the story a bit haunted.  It’s what is unwritten that frighten me.  My mind went to the worst conclusions.  At the same time, the author had me wondering about humanity.  It’s odd to hope that a vampire will resist temptation or to feel his emotional pain as he speaks of love, but you do.

Not only did Russell increase my vocabulary, but she also validated that some people were born to write.  The way she puts words together, the way she describes scenes, the way she has the reader become emotionally involved and committed to characters in a short story amazed me.  Some passages have stayed with me.  I can only hope that the homunculus (new word!) narrating my story describes me similarly. Take a look at this quote that I saw instead of read from the story The New Veterans.

He walks into the room with an actual swagger, that sort of boastful indifference to gravity that Beverly associates with cats and Italian women.

While reading, I kept wondering how Russell was able to move between genres so easily.  It would seem that she has focused on honing her writing skills on science fiction, but the next story has you reading about rooting for plankton against whales in Antarctica.  I imagined her conducting research on different subject to perfect the legitimacy of each story.  As imagined her work ethic, I realized just how brilliant of a writer she is.

Some stories were definite standouts for me.  Reeling for the Empire tells the story of women whose bodies are transformed into humanoid/silkworm forms so that they produce silk for a company.  Proving Up was the first story I truly did not want to finish.  I was frightened.  It was as if Russell took a nightmare you may have had and wrote it down.  I found myself wondering if I could take away my friend’s hurtful memories while reading The New Veterans.  Finally, The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis took me the longest to read.  I feared for a young boy that was bullied.  I also feared for what was happening to his bullies.

One or two of the stories either didn’t apply to me at the moment or I just couldn’t get into.  However, this is the best part about short stories.  The commitment to finish a 400 page book that you’re waiting to get into isn’t there.  What you aren’t into ends rather quickly and then you’re off to another story.

The last time I was this excited about reading short stories, it was when I was introduced to Shirley Jackson.  Karen Russell is a writer’s writer.  She defined how to build a story, lead the reader to actively be engaged in the story, and let the reader finish the story on their own.  I highly recommend this book, if only to find out how others may have finished particular stories in their heads.

See the synopsis here.

I was given the opportunity to read Vampires in the Lemon Grove in exchange for an honest review.  As always, you’ve got it!