I was instantly drawn into the narrative by Eli’s directness and the 19th century Western dialect. He is accused by other characters of having poetic tendencies, and this is true. I found his relationship to Tub -- his inadequate and eventually blinded horse -- touching. Tub is the lesser horse (compared to Eli’s brother’s horse Nimble) in the same way that Eli is the lesser killer (compared to his sociopathic brother Charlie). Eli’s feelings for Tub mirror his own self-doubt as well as his longing for kindness, understanding, and forgiveness.
The tale is nasty, brutish, and at times humouress. Many critics have mentioned a likeness to the Western stories of Elmore Leonard. Initially, I was reminded of Jesse Bullington’s “The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart,” although early similarities disappear by the novel’s conclusion.
The cover design by Dan Stiles is amazing and enhanced my enjoyment of reading the trade paperback rather than an e-version.

Swamplandia! is a passage out of the safety and comfort of childhood and into the fraught and brutal realities of adulthood. In the beginning, I couldn't place the decade in which the novel is set. You arrive into this fantastical swamp oasis, a family circus, an alligator-wrestling dynasty. Russell uses juxtapositions to propel the reader forward: The remote family operated Swamplandia! versus the suburban corporate World of Darkness; the ghost Dredgeman who escapes an unloving abusive family versus Kiwi, the brother, who escapes a loving-if-dysfunctional family; the sister who believes she is having an affair with a ghost versus the sister who believes a complete stranger is a fictitious mystical Bird Man. Well, worth the journey!

This is not meant to be a biography or an extensive overview of Burton's film career. It is an exhibition catalogue and, as such, is very satisfying. Both essays are accessible and interesting and the range of images is compelling and inspiring. Sketches are so much more rewarding than finished works in that they reveal the process of getting there. Journeys are always better than destinations. A must for fans.