It’s not often a book manages to maintain the balancing act between reality and fantasy, but Karen Russell’s Swamplandia! (2011) treads the line perfectly. The story opens with Hilola Bigtree, matriarch of the Bigtree family who own Swamplandia!, an alligator-wrestling theme park in the Ten Thousand Islands of the coast of Florida. She performs her nightly stunt of jumping into a lake full of alligators, but it is not this which kills her; she falls victim to the more mundane and arguably tragic battle with cancer.
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This feels like it captures the heart of Norse mythology/folklore.
Let's declare her the official saint by fiat.
How can cats not have an official Patron Saint? I call foul! This must be fixed at once.
"Renegade Nell" looks interesting! Reminds me a bit of both Queen of Swords and The Nevers.
Thank you for the giveaway opportunity! Still not getting notifications despite being signed up, though.