The Antidote
Russell constructed a novel underpinned by an elaborate embroidery of social, geological, historical, and environmental research on the impact of American Western expansion ... She effortlessly weaves in other characters whose unique gifts shed light on the lacunae of history ... If this sounds like a dense novel, you’re only halfway right. The book is threaded with more subplots and histories as well as characters than I can elaborate upon here. However, her sharp narrative grasp guides the reader from character to character as the book unfolds. Russell’s vivid characters retain an element of mystery, which speaks to the novel’s larger point.
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A tempest of a tale ... This story is dazzlingly original and ambitious ... Pumped full of just enough magic to make it rise without bursting the bubble of our credulity ... The scale here is large ... Across the vast canvas of this novel, Russell aims for nothing less than a consideration of the role that intentional amnesia plays in American history and American life. To embark on the adventure of reading The Antidote is to place yourself under the enchanting and challenging care of a writer who is guilty of actual witchcraft.
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Russell writes about fantastical events with plainspoken prose that makes us accept them surprisingly easily ... There’s a lot going on in The Antidote and one thing that happens because Russell takes her time is that her themes emerge gracefully.
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