I am a huge fan of Karen Russell’s short stories (Orange World is one of my favorite collections). So I had very high expectations of The Antidote.
The eponymous Antidote is a witch, who has the ability to absorb people’s memories from them, and return the memories upon demand. Unfortunately, The Antidote wakes up one morning with that particular skill gone. And given that a local corrupt sheriff somewhat relies on The Antidote to cover up some of his wrongdoing, this proves to be a problem.
Then along comes Asphodel Oletsky, a willing apprentice to The Antidote, as she wants to gain funds for her basketball team. And we also encounter Cleo Allfrey, a photographer with a camera that can take pictures of what isn’t there.
This is a sprawling novel, with a lot of references to American history that went over my British-raised head. A lot of my enjoyment came from the characters, and the elements of magical realism.
I’m sure a lot of people will love The Antidote, but for me, it was just missing some of the bite of Russell’s shorter fiction.
California Reading 