Book Review: Swamplandia!

I recently read Karen Russell's Swamplandia! and I have mixed feelings about it. I was immediately intrigued by its crazy title (with the exclamation point) and opening chapters. Set in a semi-real modern day Florida, it describes a family owned alligator wrestling themed amusement park. The crazy premise drew me into the book, and the first few chapters were amazing in the description of a slightly dysfunctional yet loving family struggling with a disconnect between their perceived and actual reality. The characters, teetering at the edge of believability and sanity, overcome their own internal disquietude through the novel. Unfortunately, the novel's plot lost me and dipped a little too far into darkness. Nevertheless, as one of the more recent pieces of literary fiction I've picked up, it's definitely worth writing about.

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