Set against a backdrop of unbelievable and sometimes ludicrous situations, “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell demonstrates how quickly and unexpectedly life can spin out of control. The young narrator Ava Bigtree warns the reader from the beginning that her family was headed for a fall. She doesn’t, however, tell her readers how close the family came to a disaster before they reconnected with each other.
The way the individual members of the family dealt with the death of Hilola Bigtree from ovarian cancer was the starting point from which the other problems faced by the family members grew. Sam “Chief” Bigtree threw himself into his work and tried to pretend the problems around him didn’t exist. The problems he ignored included Ossie’s new obsession
The way the individual members of the family dealt with the death of Hilola Bigtree from ovarian cancer was the starting point from which the other problems faced by the family members grew. Sam “Chief” Bigtree threw himself into his work and tried to pretend the problems around him didn’t exist. The problems he ignored included Ossie’s new obsession