St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (2006) is a collection of 10 short stories by Karen Russell. The book, released when Russell was just 25, resulted in the National Book Foundation naming her one of its “5 Under 35” in 2009. Russell is also the recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant, and her later novel, Swamplandia!, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Swamplandia! is based on the first short story in this collection.

Plot Summary

Most of the short stories in the collection take place on a fictional unnamed tropical island that is likely off the coast of Florida. The stories are generally dark and often have elements of magical realism that heighten their child-protagonist’s journeys into adulthood.

In the first story, “Ava Wrestles the Alligator,” two sisters living in a swamp grapple with male threats, both real and spiritual. Ava, the younger sister, helps run the Swamplandia! theme park in their father’s absence after the death of her mother. Meanwhile, she also tries to keep her sister, a medium, safe from the ghostly boyfriend that possesses her nightly. In the end, Ava saves her sister from nearly drowning as a way to be with her dead beau.

The story “Haunting Olivia” follows two brothers, Timothy and Wallow, as they sail around the island looking for the spirit of their younger sister, who was lost at sea. Aiding them in their quest is a pair of diabolical goggles, which allow Timothy to see the ghosts of sea creatures under the water. Ultimately, they never find her.

In “Z. Z.’s Sleep-Away Camp for Disordered Dreamers,” Elijah and his friend Ogli, who both suffer from the same sleep disorder, try to uncover the mystery of who or what is slaughtering the camp’s sheep. Also involved is Emma, on whom Elijah has a crush. Ultimately, they find that the camp owner’s wife, Annie, is committing these murders in her sleep.

“The Star-Gazer’s Log of Summer-Time Crime” follows Ollie as he enters into a life of childish crime with the school bully, Raffy, during the summer he had planned to spend stargazing. They conspire to lure newly hatched baby turtles away from the sea, with dire consequences. Ollie finds himself in over his head with the crime ring and is helpless to get out.

In “from Children’s Reminiscences of the Westward Migration,” a Minotaur takes his wife, two daughters, and son Jacob on a trek across 19th-century America in the hopes of reaching the green plains of the West. Along the way, obstacles test this aim, and the family begins to crumble from the stress, but Jacob witnesses his father’s bull-headed devotion to his dream.

The story “Lady Yeti and the Palace of Artificial Snows” involves friends Reg and Badger who sneak into the local ice rink after hours to witness the adults-only event called the Blizzard. They find the grownups giving themselves over to a snow-drenched frenzy and Badger tries desperately to understand why his father religiously attends this event.

In “The City of Shells,” schoolgirl Big Red AKA Lillith becomes trapped inside a giant conch shell while on a field trip. The maintenance man, Barnaby, attempts to save her but falls in, too. When Barnaby tries to save them, Big Red burrows further back into the shell.

The protagonist of “Out to Sea” is Sawtooth Bigtree, who lives in a retirement community made up of refurbished boats. As part of a community service program, he is assigned a buddy on whom he comes to depend. To prevent the girl from leaving, he enables her habit of stealing from him. However, when her crimes come to light, she leaves him alone anyway.

In “Accident Brief, Occurrence # 00/422,” choirboy Tek is involved in an ice plane accident on his way to attend a yearly traditional concert. Another choir member, the mute Rangi, prevents his rescue and the two end up in an ice cave without transponders or hope of rescue. Tek tries to sing down an Avalanche to get help, but his voice breaks, and he is not sure anyone will come looking.

In “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” a group of girls who are the human daughters of werewolves receive instruction from nuns on how to live in the human world. Claudette, the narrator, learns to speak and walk on two feet, resenting her eldest sister Jeanette who learns the fastest. Ultimately, Mirabella, the youngest sister, is unable to adapt and is the only wolf-girl to return to the woods.