The Antidote by Karen Russell ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a "Prairie Witch," whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

March 2025; Knopf; 978-0593802250
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); visionary fiction 

I love books set during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Two of my favorite novels are The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. So when I saw The Antidote, I knew I had to read it. It had a high bar to meet, and I wasn't so sure about the magical realism elements since I don't typically like magical realism.

It took me a little while to get into the story as I had trouble connecting with the characters. The early chapters also heavily focused on the woman who was jailed for having a baby out of wedlock, and that wasn't the story I was looking for. 

As we focused more on the other residents of Uz and how the Great Depression and Dust Bowl affected them, I found myself much more invested in the story.

I found the invention of the Prairie Witch (who is known as the Antidote) interesting. People deposit memories into the Prairie Witch. It works kind of like a safety deposit box. Once the deposit is made, the person no longer remembers that memory but can retrieve it at any time. Sometimes the memories are happy ones - the memories you don't ever want to forget. More often, though, it is memories that you would rather forget.

The Prairie Witch was the character I struggled the most with as I didn't really understand her role in the story. Once her purpose was made clear, I enjoyed her much more.

I didn't mind the other non-people characters (one is the scarecrow and one is a cat).

I wasn't sure where the story was going and I thought perhaps it was a slice-of-life type novel since we have a young girl who plays basketball, a New Deal photographer, and the grain master narrating the story in addition to the Prairie Witch, scarecrow, and cat. It wasn't until the last third or so of the novel that the point became clear. 

While I liked the message of the novel at the end, I think it would have been better a little earlier in the novel. Sure there are a few subtle clues but the story pacing felt meandering at the beginning and then a rush to the conclusion.

As I said I don't read a lot of novels with magical realism elements, but I thought this is one of the best to weave those elements into the story. 

Buy The Antidote at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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