Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

I've been insanely excited for this book since I found out about it last year and it lived up to all my expectations. I am completely smitten with Karen Russell. She was adorable & incredibly sweet when I met her at the Boston Book Festival 2 summers ago and you combine that with her writing and I'm bluebirds circling my heads smitten. I'd actually already read the first 4 stories in this book and they held up fantastic rereading them in this collection. The collection is everything I've come to expect from her stories, imaginative, innovative, beautifully written, honest & sometimes terrifying. The suspense in this collection feels like a natural development in her writing.


Vampires in the Lemon Grove
This is the first story I'd ever read of hers and it blew me away. It's a story about an old married vampire couple living peacefully in a lemon grove in Italy.


Reeling for the Empire
This one I had just read at the end of last year so it was freshest in my mind. It's an amazing story about women in Japan who are turned into silk works to produce silk in an isolated factory. This story is sad at times, rebellious at other and definitely scary but I think it's just an amazing concept for a story.


The Seagull Army Decends on Stong Beach, 1979
This story is about a younger brother living a bit in his popular older brothers shadow whose path crosses a flock of time/space traveling seagulls. So good.


Proving Up
This and a later story in the collection are two of the scariest stories I've read in a long long time. I'd put it up against any short story by King in terms of fright & enjoyment. I won't tell too much but the story is set in Nebraska and a family who's trying to have the inspector confirm they have met the requirements of the Homestead Act to own their land. I won't say more but it's incredible


The Barn at the End of Our Term
Just your run of the mill story about a bunch of presidents who find themselves reincarnated at horses. Pretty standard really.


Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating
This is a funny little satirical story about a krill fan rooting for krill vs whales in the food chain. Good antarctic tailgating advice.


The New Veterans
This is a story about a middle age massuse working with an Iraqi war veteran who has a large and possibly magical memorial back tattoo. Love the imagery in this one. The way she describes whats going on and the interpersonal dynamics is so good.


The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis
This is the second scariest story in the book and only by a hair. It's about a creepy scarecrow that a group of bullies find in a park that looks just like a kid they used to beat up at school. Creepy in the best way possible. Hilarious how creepy dolls really are in horror stories.