Time to take a look back at the books I read in the month of…
Read With Us: The Antidote Discussion
The time has come to discuss our latest Read With Us selection, The Antidote by Karen Russell. We’ll be meeting tonight at 7pm on zoom (let me know if you need an invite from Kym) and to prepare us for the meeting, Bonny, Kym and I are each asking questions on our blogs today.
The Antidote is firmly rooted in a real historical moment: Nebraska during the Dust Bowl of 1935, a time shaped by environmental disaster, economic hardship, and widespread uncertainty. At the same time, Russell introduces elements of magical realism multiple forms . . . through the character of the Antidote herself, through the strange photographs that Cleo Allfrey is able to capture, through the unsettling presence of the scarecrow, and more. The magical elements are not explained or justified; they simply exist within the same world as dust storms, crop failure, and human loss.
How does the magical realism affect your experience of the novel as historical fiction?
Does it deepen your understanding of the emotional reality of the Dust Bowl, or does it create distance from the historical setting?
Do you think the novel would feel more or less powerful if it were written as straightforward historical fiction, and what is gained (or lost) by blending the real and the unreal in telling this story.
Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments today or save them to share with the group tonight. As always, I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
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For me, the combination of magical realism and historical fiction was a detraction and a distraction. I kept thinking “that doesn’t make sense” when I came across the sentient scarecrow, the time-traveling camera, the fact that Harp’s crops were thriving while everyone else’s were withered and dying. But I was fascinated by the idea of prairie witches and would have enjoyed the book more with just them and the Dust Bowl. But I do admire Russell’s creativity and original ideas and look forward to our discussion tonight. I have an open mind and may be convinced by others’ thoughts on this book!
As I’ve mentioned a number of times, magical realism is not a favorite genre of mine. However, I loved this book and I think the magical realism worked extremely well in this case. And now I want to re-read “The Grapes of Wrath” which has always been a favorite book. Looking forward to our discussion tonight!
I thought the magical realism was well done and made me think more deeply about how we respond to mistakes or life’s difficulties. I’m not always a fan of magical realism, but it this case it added to the story and wasn’t too goofy.
I enjoyed the magical realism (even, in his way, the puzzle of the scarecrow). I think it allowed Russell to show us some things that wouldn’t easily fit in her narrative if it had been straight historical fiction. And it certainly blew open the exploration of hiding the shameful secrets of the past.
I’m not sure I would have loved the book as much or if the story would have worked as well without the magical realism — especially the idea of people getting rid of their unwanted memories by putting them in vaults. That said, I’m not sure I understood everything and will probably need to read the book again (maybe several times!) to feel like I’m fully appreciating it!
I was a little nervous going in that I wasn’t going to like the magical realism but I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. I was confused at times with some of it but it kept me reading to find out what was going on.