All fiction requires the reader to immerse themselves in the world and characters that have been created, but sometimes the stories can be too unbelievable for the reader to relate to or tend too much towards the reality can be classified as fantasy. Karen Russell has constructed a novel of exemplary short stories entitled Vampires In The Lemon Grove. His stories are said to "vibrate with originality and life" with "the imaginative scope and moral weight of works of much greater length." The praise she has received for this collection of short stories is well deserved, and as her second novel after the award-winning Swamplandia!, the Miami, Florida-based author has a bright future in short stories. Karen Russell gained recognition for her first novel Swamplandia! and various other stories published in the New Yorker and other writing magazines. As a graduate of Northwestern University and Columbia University's MFA program, her talent for short fiction has not gone unnoticed. His critically acclaimed first novel was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the Fiction category, and he has also won numerous other prestigious awards such as The New Yorker's 20 under 40. Writing fiction helps you "reconnect with the true, profound strangeness inherent in everyday reality." , in our relationships with each other, simply in being alive.” (Russell) He displays these emotions throughout the Lemon Grove stories, with his most violent emotions expressed through the horrific story of "Reeling for the Empire". In this story, a group of young enslaved Japanese women are transformed into human silkworms to produce valuable goods for their empire. The story comes to an explosive ending when the main character chooses to fight against her own appearances... middle of paper... which made her a unique American short story author and set her apart from others who also mastered the short story and the novel, and his future works will undoubtedly be as incisive, impactful and memorable as his Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Works Cited Corrigan, Maureen. "Karen Russell's 'Vampires' deserve raves." NPR. NPR and Web. May 23, 2014. "Vampires in the Lemon Grove recap and reviews." BookBrowse.com. Np, nd Web. May 23, 2014. "Vampires in the Lemon Grove (Russell) - Author Bio." Vampires in the lemon grove. Np, nd Web. May 23 2014. .