Karen Russell’s “Vampires in the Lemon Grove” makes several points about the nature of humanity and the mortal expectations of romantic relationships. Russell accomplishes this by implementing the preconceived predatory nature of vampires, as well as through the connections vampires have to the idea of eternity, and how each of these elements impacts Clyde’s relationship with Magreb. A particularly strong point in Russell’s craft is how seamlessly she takes these literary characterizations of the supernatural and uses them to mask truly human qualities.
The notion of a literal eternity together poses a daunting situation for both main characters, similar to the one a typical legal marriage would entail. Though both will literally live forever, Clyde admits to thinking their relationship will end before the world does, perhaps insinuating that he knows Magreb is growing distant; later on those suspicions are confirmed. He realizes she does not sacrifice as much for him as he does for her and so uses that as an excuse to allow his predation instincts to overtake him. This metaphor is very carefully constructed by Russell, as she truly does manipulate preconceived tropes of the supernatural, eternity and predation, to symbolize, respectively, the human concept of the inevitably ending “forever” and the underlying dissatisfactions that lead people astray. Coupling these qualities with their truly humane counterparts also adds a certain element of irony to Clyde’s constant reminders that he and Magreb are monsters, or non-human. The fact that Clyde is relegated to a human form as he realizes his dissatisfactions supports these notions as well.
In contrasting Magreb’s boredom with Clyde’s self-denial in her favor and constant pining for her affections, Russell establishes a commentary on marriage that extends beyond just the basic issues of dissatisfaction and the resulting infidelity. Instead, Russell unpacks the motives of dissatisfaction and makes the seemingly abnormal characters quite relatable.
Kate: this is a wonderful — and elegantly phrased — observation: “A particularly strong point in Russell’s craft is how seamlessly she takes these literary characterizations of the supernatural and uses them to mask truly human qualities.”