Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Karen Russell’s Vampires in the Lemon Grove and Other Stories, published in 2013, is a collection of short stories that are linked by the supernatural. The collection can be considered a work of magical realism because each story combines a realistic setting with magical elements; however, perhaps a more fitting label is that of speculative fiction, since many of the magical elements are darker in nature, and border on horror. Due to the many mature themes, it’s geared more towards an adult audience.

Many of the stories were published independent of each other before the collection was published, but most of them are thematically connected. For example, in “Reeling for the Empire,” “The New Veterans,” and “The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis,” monstrous characters like silkworm hybrids, a living tattoo, and an abject doll are used as metaphors to reveal the deeper psychological issue of haunting regret. In each of these stories, characters are tormented by their inability to change the past. “Vampires in the Lemon Grove,” “The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979,” and “Dougbert Shackleton’s Rules for Antarctic Tailgating” each utilize surreal elements, but are, at heart, relationship stories.