Vampires in the lemon grove : stories
/ Karen Russell.
- 1st ed.
- New York : Alfred A. Knopf , 2013.
- 243 p. ; 23 cm
Russell's collection showcases her strengths as a wordsmith while providing the reader with dazzling, well-imagined settings. Each complex story could easily be expanded into a novel or novella, but Russell cuts right to the heart of the matter, illustrating the conflict with warm, at times whimsical prose. The titular story describes a decades-long relationship between two vampires who travel the world together searching for something to quench their "thirst." These are not your traditional Bram Stoker creatures of the night nor your modern Twilight vampires, but something of Russell's own creation. Similarly, "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979" and Dust Bowl-era "Proving Up" are not typical young-boy-coming-of-age stories. Russell's original style can sometimes turn a bit silly, such as in the story told from the point of view of a horse that is the reincarnation of U.S. President Rutherford Hayes, but her aim is true.