Stag by Karen Russell

By Pamelascott

Feeling alone? Join the party in a darkly comic and deeply felt short story about fragility and resilience in the Mojave Desert by the New York Times bestselling author of Swamplandia!

Still recovering from a brutal breakup, Stan Dobrev crashes a "divorce party" in the Southern California desert. An unknown extra in a stranger's drama, he's on his way back to the bar when a fellow interloper catches his wandering eye. She's a formidable tortoise named Greeley, trudging through the drunken revelry and chaos like a true survivor. Before the night is over, she'll lead Stan on a strange journey beyond oblivion.

Karen Russell's Stag is part of Trespass, a collection of wild stories about animal instincts, human folly, and survival from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

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I had attended many weddings as a plus-one, but this was my first divorce.

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(Amazon Original Stories, 24 February 2022, 40 pages, borrowed from @AmazonKindle, #PrimeReading)

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This is my first time reading the author. I've heard of her but have never got round to reading anything. I really enjoyed Stag and the author has been added to my TBR. I really enjoyed this story. It felt like a much longer piece than it was. It was really funny at times but had dark undercurrent which I really enjoyed. I'd recommend this.