Vampires in the Lemon Grove

I found Vampires in the Lemon Grove a very interesting and entertaining read. Russell deals with issues such as identity and the humanity in the most unpredictable characters. I enjoyed the idea of these characters that are more than just what we would define as “monsters” and how we transcend from their oddities, whether it would be a vampire or a girl transforming into a silkworm, to their humane characteristics. I think her work is relatable because she captures our emotion and our vulnerability, as an audience, and presents it in a peculiar way. Even though it would be a vampire narrating his life story it becomes more than that – we see him as a man with loves and fears, and in him we can see ourselves. Her characters develop habits and have their own ideas about life and love and core motivations, which immediately creates an emotional connection. Russell sets up this psychological reality in which we understand what the characters are going through (at least I did). I personally found it fascinating how through her gothic sort of style of writing and dry humor, with stories that could easily resemble the monster and fantasy books and tales we read as kids, Russell captivates sort of the adult aspect to it. It’s like she sees the human component or the true individual matters that not many people would think of, like what if a vampire falls in love or fails to grasp his identity. I believe it is within this matter that a reader could easily feel related to the characters; the fun part being they are as fictional as fairy tales. I find her texts successful because she moves us emotionally and at the same time she creates stories that are fun and motivating to read.

      After reading the first short story of the Dewbreaker, The Book of the Dead, by Edwinge Danticat I have to highlight the fact that mainly because of our cultural backgrounds I can't relate to the story, but rather I can contrast my situation with hers. Firstly, the author is a Haitian woman living in New York, a key element I couldn't possibly relate to since I was born in Argentina and live in Florida. I could say I would understand what it feels like to live away from home, but the book doesn't really touch that subject so I'm left with little to connect to. Evidently this shows how different our life experiences are in terms of where and how we were raised, and so this might also affect our views of the world. As a result, I can only read those sections of the story as an audience, and rather than participate and relate to her experiences I can listen and try to take in her input. 
     Moreover there is the recurrent theme of the issue with her father, another key aspect in the book that is very incompatible with the relationship I have with my father for example. Danticat mentions how unstable her relationship is with her father, and how that affects her life even in adulthood. There are portions of the story where she seems to hold on to anger and mistrust because of her father's lies. Luckily in my personal relationship with my father this is not an issue, and her parental figure is portrayed in a very far away picture from what I could consider a dad. Again, reading her thoughts on her damaging relation with her father, the effect is has on me is minimal and I can only read from a far away perspective.
     Basically, after reading the Dewbreaker and learning about Danticat's experiences, fictional or not, my conclusion is that rather than trying to relate to the story, or try to find non-existant connections, sometimes we can just be the audience we are meant to be. I guess we could try to find empathy for the narrator and the characters in the story, or try to learn about different situations and how they impact different people on different levels, but other than that it would be almost selfish to try to insert oneself in a story that has no place for the reader.