94. "Swamplandia!" by Karen Russell

Russell, Karen. Swamplandia. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011.

316 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

A family of four lives in the Florida everglades running Swamplandia! an alligator wrestling theme park. Swamplandia! is narrated by Ava, the youngest and most precocious of the three Bigtree siblings. She is joined by her older sister Ossie and oldest brother Kiwi as they try to save their family’s park from financial devastation.Their mother has died within the past year leaving the family emotionally devastated as well. Kiwi takes off for the mainland with the intention of saving Swamplandia. Taking a job at The World of Darkness, a competing Florida theme park, Kiwi finds himself facing culture shock and alienation.

The plot starts to dissolve when Kiwi leaves home. The narration splits at that point rotating between first person Ava and third person limited (Kiwi and Mr. Bigtree). Things get messy here. Ossie elopes with a ghost, Mr. Bigree heads to the mainland to get funding for his new venture “Carnival Darwinism” that he thinks will save Swamplandia and Ava is left on her own with the seths (the family term for “alligators”) only to be lead to the “gates of hell” by a “bird man”.

The larger plot is fairly unique and certainly kept my attention. There could be some improvement of the micro plot points. Holes in the minor details pepper the larger plot. For example, in one scene Ava and Ossie are complaining about how hungry they are and how bare their kitchen cabinets have become since their father left for the mainland. A couple scenes later, they are packing their bags full of food in preparation for their next adventure….but with what food? Where did this food magically come from? The book is littered with little inconsistencies like this, so much so that it can pull you out of the story and you’re reminded that you’re reading a book. If a book is a good book, that never happens. You should stay immersed in the story, the language, and the characters from beginning to end.

Russell is clearly a talented writer. At certain points, her use of language dazzled me. I read and re-read certain paragraphs to absorb the juiciness of her prose. Russell is a wordsmith whose exposition is rich and haunting. The language can’t act as a replacement for good development, though and the conclusion was a flop for me. The conclusion of the book is as murky as the swamp waters through which Russell’s characters trek. It’s like when you eat a bite of something delicious, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. It just misses being satisfying. That’s how I felt at the end of Swamplandia!.

I am a fan of dark stories and I’m not against bad things happening in stories. In fact, I really like it when bad things happen and the writer dives into the complexity of that trauma. Russell failed to do this. Just before the end of the book, readers are hit with a trauma and then Russell doesn’t deal with it, doesn’t dive into it at all. It’s glossed over as if it were no more important than having cheerios for breakfast instead of oatmeal or something. I can see the message she might be attempting here--that when faced with trauma, some choose to live in denial of the trauma BUT that denial wasn’t even dealt with or explored. It was “this very bad thing happened and now, the end.”

I am really excited to see what else Karen Russell does. This was a great first novel, even if I didn’t love certain aspects of it. I think she truly has some real potential as a writer and I will gladly pick up her next book.

This book is FOR: people who want a beautifully painted picture of life in the Florida everglades, and experience with a new contemporary writer.

This book is NOT FOR: People looking for a plot driven story, those who are triggered by scenes of sexual assault, or people who don’t like flowery, cerebral, language.

Three darts are awarded to Swamplandia! Three darts for the language, the unique characters and delicious setting. A higher rating was impossible in light of the bitter aftertaste.

92. "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

Toole, John Kennedy. A Confederacy of Dunces. New York: Wings Books, 1980.

462 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

John Kennedy Toole has only one published book, A Confederacy of Dunces, and it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981. The award was given posthumously since Toole died of suicide in 1969. The book was presented to publishers posthumously as well when his mother contacted Walker Percy by letter asking him to look over her dead son’s manuscript. If the story of the novel’s publication elicits sensitivities, this is nothing compared to how incredibly sensitive people are when defending their position on A Confederacy of Dunces.

In A Confederacy of Dunces, readers are introduced to Ignatius J. Reilly, a very fat, very bored, and very complicated master meddler. Ignatius meddles in everyone’s business and is tied up in a weave of stories and characters brackish and static. There isn’t much that happens in the plot; basically, Ignatius’ mother gets in a drunk driving accident and is fined so she asks Ignatius to find a job to pay off the fine. Ignatius is a thirty something unpublished writer with a master’s degree who won’t be trapped in the “system.” In every job he lands he causes problems, uprisings, and treason (effectively dressed as a pirate for one gig).

The book takes a close look at working class New Orleans. Toole’s use of language was brilliant and while most readers pinpoint the humor of the story, I continually found myself keyed in to the underlying sorrow. Humor in this story, for me, isn’t the point. Toole was illustrating sorrowful characters with tragic stories and he used the humor to break the monotony of dead-end lives and days dragged through the mud of poverty.

I’ve never seen a book as divisive as this one. Discuss a book with a group of people and you will get strongly emotional reactions. Book clubs are disbanded after disputes over Ignatius. Friendships are altered after breaking down “who” are the “dunces” in the title. I’ve never seen a book have such a direct impact on how people judge others. In book reviews I’ve read lines like: “If you don’t like this book then we definitely aren’t on the same page,” or “I know I’ll like someone if their favorite book is A Confederacy of Dunces.” I haven’t seen this happen so frequently with other books I’ve read. Whether you did or didn’t like the book, it clearly leaves an impression on people and that is worth noticing.

This books is FOR people: who like quirky characters, interesting illustrations of dialect and language, or who are interested in literature set in New Orleans.

This book is NOT FOR people: who are expecting a fast-paced story, who are expecting a mystery or romance, who are expecting all loose ends to be tied up.

5 darts out of 5

84. "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo

Russo, Richard. Empire Falls. New York: Random House, 2001.

483 pages.

Reviewed by J. d’Artagnan Love

I have a slight obsession with diners. There is something about old-fashioned diners with a line of bar stools, the smell of hamburger grease in the air, and a constant stream of coffee into anxiously awaiting mugs that makes me feel at peace with the world. I’m not sure why exactly, but I love any story whether told on film or in print, that has something to do with an old-fashioned diner.

Empire Falls is the story of a failing town in Maine, and the diner that is the heartbeat of the community, the Empire Grill. Miles Roby runs the grill for the invidious Mrs. Whiting. Miles is unsatisfied with life in Empire Falls, though he isn’t really aware of it. He is kindly reminded by his brother, daughter, and life-long crush that he wants more for himself and that his deceased mother had always wanted more from him as well.

Empire Falls is a character-driven novel. It tells the story of a small American town and its inhabitants, how they came to be who they are, how their pasts are interwoven and how their futures depend the next choice that Mrs. Whiting will make. Russo is an enchanting and masterful story-teller and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this novel. Well-deserving of the Pulitzer, Empire Falls spirals into an unexpected climax that ties all the looped story lines together in a compelling and artful way. The title is apt as nearly everyone’s empire—Mrs. Whiting’s, Miles’, even John Voss’—falls by the story’s resolution.

I could not get enough of this book. I read it slowly, drinking it in as if I were sitting for coffee with Miles and the boys at the grill. It was a book that I didn’t want to end. I wanted to follow these characters through the rest of their lives. I imagine I will re-read this book several times and find something new to savor with each reading.

Empire Falls was turned into a TV miniseries that’s waiting in my Netflix queue. I’m excited to see how these characters will come to life on the “big screen. Empire Falls is by far one of the best books I’ve read in 2014.

5 darts out of 5

This book is FOR people who: like a character-driven read, can appreciate the literary artistry of a novel, and are interested in fictional depictions of small-town, American life.

This books is NOT FOR people who: want a fast-paced, action packed story, or are looking for a light romantic read (this story can get pretty heavy).