2011 Global Reading Challenge North America #3

This is the last of the N. American novels that I've committed to reading this yr. with the Global reading challenge, and its a new release.

Karen Russell has been festooned with just about every award a young writer can receive, The New Yorkers '20 under 40', The National Book Foundations '5 under 35', and was chosen as one of Granta's best young American novelists for her previous book St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, and honestly after reading this book all the accolades are deserved. Russell shows a maturity in her fiction that can take decades to achieve, which makes her a writer to watch as her abilities will seemingly continue to evolve and improve.

Swamplandia! is the story of the Bigtree tribe (non-native american) of alligator wrestlers in the Florida Everglades. Russell, as a Miami native, was faithful to the traditions of Florida writing, with echoes of both classic, Matthiessen and Hurston, and contemporary, Hiaasen and Dorsey, Florida writers. She shows the knowledge, care and love for the history, lore and absurdities, which commonly intersect, of the state.

The writing style is playful. Russell toys with, without committing to, the ideas of 'Magical Realism' (a literary genre in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality' (wikipedia.org) that many a Nobel Laureate has written in, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Jose Saramago.) The door is left open for interpretation throughout most of the book whether or not any real magic is taking place or whether we are just seeing the world through the eyes of a child. I argue that it is magical realism, based on many inclusions throughout the book, including a red alligator and a seemingly living breathing swamp that very much acts as a main character, but can simply rest my argument on the basis that seeing the world through the eyes of a child is a magical experience.

I cannot leave this review without drawing the line to whom I see as one of Russell's closest contemporaries, the one I see her showing the most parallels to, and that is Haruki Murakami. He as well plays with the traditions of Magical Realism, though he uses it much more overtly, and even the structure of the book, with alternating chapters, resembles his works. If you read this and like it, pick Murakami up next. If you like Murakami, check 'Swamplandia' out.