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.