Hysterically Funny, Poignant, and in Some Ways, Horrifying

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I guarantee you’ve never read a short story like Bog Girl by Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia and Antidote. Admittedly, it’s not for everyone, but I found it hysterically funny, poignant, and in some ways, horrifying.   

A school age peat cutter approaches the bog one morning to commence his labors, only to be startled by the sight of a hand emerging from the bog. He manages to extract an intact young female body preserved by elements in the bog and estimated to be 2,000 years old (his uncle warns she might be 3,000 years old because women lie about their age). Her eyes are closed, but her mouth has a serene smile, almost Mona Lisa like, and her red hair entwines with a rope and noose, “black with peat,” dangling from her neck. “Cillian touched her hair, touched the rope. He was holding the reins of her life.”   

He falls in love with her, names her Bog Girl, and takes her home to his family. Soon they are sitting together on the couch watching sitcoms, and he begins taking her to school, where she is accepted by the popular girls if for no other reason than he loves her as purely as they ache to be loved.   

Readers who venture into the story will be compelled to see how it ends. I read a comment about author Karen Russell that noted you never forget about anything written by her that you read, and certainly that is true in this case. This is the first of Russell’s work that I have read, but definitely not the last!

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