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There are currently 17 member reviews
for The Antidote
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Anne G. (Austin, TX)
The Antidote by Karen Russell
In her signature, slightly off-kilter way, Russell again takes us into a world where things are not quite as expected. It is 1930s dust bowl Uz, Nebraska and the town has been decimated by the howling winds and blowing topsoil, frightened by the found bodies of missing women, and scandalized by corruption and deceit.
The Antidote aka The Prairie Witch is the main character. She is an older woman with a mysterious back story that we learn as we go along. She got her names because she allows people to give her their uncomfortable memories which she stores for them in what is referred to as the Vault. Occasionally they may come back to retrieve them using a prescribed process.
There is a lot going on in this story with young orphan basketball player, a creepy sheriff, a lonely widower, a speaking scarecrow, and a government photographer. Each character is likely to surprise you at some point but consistent throughout is Karen Russell's magical vision and presentation of themes that will resonate long after the final page. With a big punch at the end this is sure to be one of the most memorable and original tales you read this year.
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Jane B. (San Ramon, CA)
DNF - Too weird for me
Hello, I love to read and listen to book and can get into almost any book, but The Antidote is just too weird for me. I like the style of writing. The author makes me read sentences twice because of how she puts together her thoughts. It's so evocative. The problem is the plot content. I read the first 100 pages and just can't get into her space. It's too fantastical and the story seems so nonsensical. It's too bad, because I really like her writing style. I can get interested in many book, but this one I just can't complete.
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Beth Anne M. (Orlando, FL)
Too much going on, overwhelming read
I was a fan of Swamplandia, and was really excited that finally Russell had another book. This did not scratch the itch for me.
There are a lot of things going on in this story, and it gets really overwhelming really quickly. I never found a "groove" where I cared about this story, the characters or really anything about this book.
The jumping around between five characters got exhausting and never let me feel any of their stories were adequately told. The magical elements were not well explored, and didn't jive with the historical elements of the story. It all felt very disjointed and confusing.
I can see glimmers of a good story here, but all put together this narrative doesn't make sense to me and I did not enjoy it
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