St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Has that feeling been so extreme that you don't even feel like a member of the human race?

Have you ever wanted to curl up and disappear from the world for awhile? Has that happened and you get a panicky feeling that you can't rejoin the world because you'd done such a good job of disappearing?

Karen Russell in St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves plays with themes to an extreme. This is her first publication -- a collection of 10 short stories -- and she will be coming to UND in a few weeks as part of the Writer's Conference. I'm excited.

In her publisher's page she tells of being influenced by many writers, including Stephen King and Ray Bradbury, and I could see that. Her style is called "magical realism" and I love stories that mix the real and the fantastic. An author can get away with a lot -- push the envelope -- to get the reader out of their comfort zone, and maybe even elicit a gasp from them. David Sedaris did that during his reading in Fargo several years ago. I encourage you to check out Russell's book. These stories will stay with you and they're perfect for a quick "time-out" from studying.

Kristen