6/20/2023 0 Comments Swamplandia sparknotesIt begins as a realistic story with a historical setting. In “The Prospector,” Russell goes to a favorite premise: a young person falls for - at least, temporarily - someone who is dead or some semblance thereof (see also “The Bog Girl,” Swamplandia!). I’m trying to figure out if I should feel as disappointed as I do, or if I should rewire my expectations a bit to enjoy these tales for what they are. This made me quite grumpy when I went through her collection Vampires in the Lemon Grove. The story dies quickly, and when you look at its corpse it appears withered, dry, and hollowed out. Rereading “The Prospectors” reminded of this - I enjoyed going through it again but the ending washed that enjoyment away. In fact, I quite liked the story I just didn’t like the ending. I walk away thinking I didn’t like the story. But sometimes by the end I’m disappointed. She has a sensibility that veers to the off-kilter and creepy, and I like it. See, usually when I read something by Karen Russell I’m drawn in by the voice and the imagined world. Rereading the story has brought me to a moment of reflection. I’m posting on it again as part of an extended look at the stories in Russell’s latest collection, Orange World. A read this story a few years ago when it appeared in The New Yorker.
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