The Antidote, the second novel from Karen Russell, a Pulitzer Prize finalist with her debut, is an astonishingly magical read!

This novel is set during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression of the 1930s, yet it remains relevant with today's issues. It addresses issues such as poverty, racism, misogyny, memory and above all human connection

This is not a book to be rushed through; it demands reflection and thought, and that is its greatest strength. The essence of this novel reached the depths of my core, leaving me profoundly moved and contemplative.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for providing me with an early review copy of this book.

‘The Antidote’ by Karen Russell is a mesmerising and richly woven tale set against the backdrop of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. The novel unfolds in the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska, and is packed with vivid, multifaceted characters, each carrying their own burdens and secrets. At its core, the novel is a study of memory, loss, and the consequences of human actions, all wrapped in a layer of magical realism.

Russell’s ability to craft complex, compelling characters shines through. The central figure, the Antidote — a prairie witch who absorbs the painful memories of others — is one of the most intriguing. Her eerie ability to carry people’s secrets forms the foundation of a plot teeming with mystery, from a New Deal photographer who captures both prophecies and remnants of tragedy, to a Polish farmer haunted by past and present regrets. Each character’s narrative is carefully developed, making their struggles feel both personal and universally significant. The diverse cast, including a basketball star orphan, a misunderstood scarecrow, and a wrongly accused young man, ensures that every chapter feels fresh and full of surprises.

Beyond its rich character work, ‘The Antidote’ serves as a historical meditation, weaving in powerful themes about environmental destruction and the erasure of indigenous knowledge, which many argue played a role in the onset of the Dust Bowl. Russell also touches on deeper societal issues, such as the oppression of Native Americans and African Americans, and how even those who fled persecution — like the Polish farmer — can unwittingly perpetuate cycles of harm. This adds a layer of gravitas to the novel, reminding readers of the often ignored lessons from the past.

The narrative itself is an intricate mosaic of mystery, history, and magical realism, and Russell’s prose is both lyrical and haunting. The story is sprawling, with so many characters and plot points to follow, but it’s a journey worth taking. By the time the threads all come together, ‘The Antidote’ is an awe-inspiring, thought-provoking work that captures the timeless struggle between memory and identity, as well as the delicate balance between humans and the environment. It’s a poignant and hopeful reminder of the potential for renewal and the need for compassion in a fractured world.

Overall, this novel is a beautifully crafted, imaginative, and deeply resonant story, making it a must-read for anyone interested in history, magic, and the complexities of the human experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

'The Antidote' is a superb novel - hugely imaginative, original, gripping, moving and profound.

Set in 1930s Nebraska during the Dust Bowl, the novel introduces us to an unusual ensemble of characters in the town of Uz who take it in turns to narrate. The eponymous Antidote of Uz is a 'prairie witch' who acts as a 'Vault' with whom locals are able 'deposit' memories which remain forgotten until they are 'withdrawn', all the while remaining secret from the Antidote herself who operates under a trance. However, on Black Sunday, she discovers that she has gone 'bankrupt' and no longer has access to all the memories she is meant to be storing, so has to resort to desperate measures.

Meanwhile, curmudgeonly and devoutly religious farmer Harp Oletsky has recently taken in his wild and spirited niece Asphodel following the murder of her mother, Lada. Sheriff Vick Iscoe is adamant he has caught the man behind the Lada's murder and that of other women, but not everyone is convinced. Asphodel is also trying to lead her local girls' basketball team to regional victory, while Harp is wondering why his crops are flourishing and his land. uniquely, seems to have avoided the effects of Black Sunday. And African-American photographer Cleo Allfrey has been dispatched from Washington DC by the Resettlement Administration to capture life in the Great Plains States as a way of gaining support for President Roosevelt's New Deal.

As circumstances throw the Antidote, Harp, Asphodel and Cleo together, they learn more about each other, their own pasts and the history of the land on which they are standing, a history full of violence and oppression. They hatch a bold plan to share the truth with the rest of Uz, but there are plenty who have no desire to be undeceived.

This is such a clever and enjoyable novel, beautifully plotted and engagingly written. It engages seriously and thoughtfully with America's past, particularly the treatment of America's indigenous peoples by early pioneers, challenging the myth of 'terra nullius' (empty land) and exploring how this forms part of a cycle of displacement. White supremacy is interrogated in other ways - for instance the fact that Cleo is specifically tasked with obtaining photos of white Americans in poverty as their suffering is deemed more noteworthy and undeserved. The whole concept of 'vaults' becomes an ingenious way of thinking about memory and the role that cultural amnesia has played in America's history.

I think this is close to my platonic ideal of a novel due to the brilliance of its plotting, characterisation and writing and the seriousness of the themes it considers. It deserves to be one of the most garlanded books of 2025. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Karen Russell has packed The Antidote with a little bit of everything: climate emergency, racism, wealth, misogyny, LGBTQ+ representation, Native American history, all layered beneath a captivating veil of magical realism, Dust Bowl blues, and a central mystery. Yet, despite the immensity of topics, it never feels overstuffed or weighed down. A true testament to her boundless imagination and skill as a writer

The novel is framed by two extreme weather disasters: first, a dust storm and drought, then the long-awaited relief of rain which goes on to become a catastrophic flood. Between these forces, the story unfolds with a cast of characters both strange and compelling: a prairie witch who collects people’s memories, a woman whose camera captures glimpses of the past and future, and a grieving girl and her uncle, trying to navigate their loss. Looming in the background is the presence of a man on death row, accused of murdering multiple women in the area, a shadow that lingers over everything.

It’s historical fiction with a surreal twist, and I thought it was pretty wonderful. Russell masterfully dissects the meaning of memory, exploring what it means to have, to lose, and to collectively remember. Strange but timely, this is a gem I highly recommend.

Thank you allowing me to read this before publication!

The Antidote by Karen Russell is a beautifully haunting and thought-provoking book that delves into the complexities of memory, history and the deep scars left by the Dust Bowl era. Set against the backdrop of the devastating Black Sunday dust storm, the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska, is not just a place ravaged by the Great Depression but also burdened with violent histories that refuse to stay buried.

The narrative follows a fascinating array of characters, including a "Prairie Witch" whose body serves as a vault for the memories and secrets of others, a Polish wheat farmer who learns the heavy price of hoarded blessings, and his orphaned niece, a gifted basketball player and witch’s apprentice, struggling with grief. Alongside these figures are a talkative scarecrow and a time-travelling photographer whose camera may expose both the town's hidden truths and its tragic future.

Russell’s storytelling weaves these elements into a reckoning with a nation’s collective amnesia, shining a light on the forgotten histories passed down through generations. The book is both a reflection on the horrors of the past and an exploration of the shimmering possibilities for redemption and change. With themes of social justice, memory, and the manipulation of history, The Antidote offers a sharp critique of how stories are told—and by whom.

Karen Russell’s writing is nothing short of extraordinary. She combines the Dust Bowl, brutal murders, prairie witches, time travel, and basketball into a rich, poignant narrative that challenges readers to think deeply about our climate crisis and the stories we often choose to forget. The Antidote is a book that evokes every emotion, and Russell masterfully crafts a tale that is as enchanting as it is urgent. This is a book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

One of the most interesting parts of modern history to me is the period after the Great Crash in the USA: on the one hand you have the creation of shanty towns of men looking for work in all the major national cities (Hoovervilles), and also coinciding with the dustbowl phenomenon on the great plains, poor farming metrology ripping away the topsoil and rendering the whole area barren. So if you feel the way I feel, I've got The Antidote for you, a magical realist saga of the dustbowl, of a Prairie Witch, a teenage basketball player, of murder, sentient scarecrows and time-slipping cameras. Bear with me as I try to explain some of those things, but take my word for it, it is worth it.

Whilst we will delve into her back story as the tale proceeds, The Praire Witch offers a service to all the local townsfolk - namely for a price you can tell her a memory and she will take it from you, store it and then, when required she will return it to you. Sometimes happy memories that people want to savour afresh in later life, but often niggles of guilt, or in the case of the local sheriff, huge numbers of instances of corruption. Except on the night of the financial crash, her vault crashed too, and now she cannot summon up the old memories and only hears the new ones. Into her story comes Asphodel Oletsky, a third-generation Polish immigrant, and teen basketball champ who is now living with her uncle after her mother was murdered. He seems disengaged, and she needs money to take her team to the regional championships, so she apprentices herself to the Prairie Witch, and whilst she doesn't develop the ability to store memories, she is very good at making up replacement memories for those who want to retrieve them. Her uncle's farm (which has a self-aware scarecrow) is the only one seemingly unaffected by the dustbowl, and starts displaying strange lights at night, and when a photographer for the government - there to record the disaster - takes photos on his property with her new camera it develops photos from the past and future of the land, from dinosaurs to future generations. Threaded through this is a tale of murder and corruption, with the local sheriff chasing the witch for what she might know, and the larger story of the death of a town, and the coming of age of Asphodel.

Considering how high concept much of The Antidote is, it is a testament to Karen Russell's writing about how easily this all slips down. The Prairie Witch's job seems to fit naturally in the land that has literally forgotten itself, and memory and false memory end up being a major part of the book - not least when the Polish immigrant farmer has to reckon with the persecution that he escaped in Europe now being delivered by himself and colleagues to native Americans. Its a big book about big things, and yet it always manages to always connect to its characters personally, and its many digressions and flashbacks never derail the central narrative. A surprising, strange but rather terrific way of recontextualising the history of the dustbowl.

I normally don't enjoy books set during the Great Depression, but when I came across one that featured memory loss and a memory curse, I was intrigued. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try, and I'm so glad I did! One thing I can say for certain is that the author is an exceptional writer. I particularly loved the witch character; she added a fascinating layer to the story. I really hope that many readers who appreciate historical fiction and magical realism will give this book a chance.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing book.

It’s an historical fiction novel mixed with magical realism and wow, I was not expecting it to evoke so many emotions.

The vivid writing is amazing. It’s so unique, atmospheric and very moving.

It has so much going on, dealing with memory, family, loss, hope, power, and resilience. And the ending! The ending had me sobbing.

A definite recommendation from me.

Excellent read.
Beautifully written so that you can almost see the dust blown prairie.
Her characters are well described and you feel for each of them as they move through their sadness as lonely figures only to coalesce in friendship at the farm and become something altogether stronger.