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Demon Copperhead
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fiction (2022)"Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.
Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.
Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2022
About the author
Barbara Kingsolver
78 books23.1k followersBarbara Kingsolver was born in 1955 and grew up in rural Kentucky. She earned degrees in biology from DePauw University and the University of Arizona, and has worked as a freelance writer and author since 1985. At various times she has lived in England, France, and the Canary Islands, and has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia, Mexico, and South America. She spent two decades in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to southwestern Virginia where she currently resides.
Her books, in order of publication, are: The Bean Trees (1988), Homeland (1989), Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike (1989), Animal Dreams (1990), Another America (1992), Pigs in Heaven (1993), High Tide in Tucson (1995), The Poisonwood Bible (1998), Prodigal Summer (2000), Small Wonder (2002), Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, with photographer Annie Griffiths (2002), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (2007), The Lacuna (2009), Flight Behavior (2012), Unsheltered (2018), How To Fly (In 10,000 Easy Lessons) (2020), Demon Copperhead (2022), and coauthored with Lily Kingsolver, Coyote's Wild Home (2023). She served as editor for Best American Short Stories 2001.
Kingsolver was named one the most important writers of the 20th Century by Writers Digest, and in 2023 won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Demon Copperhead. In 2000 she received the National Humanities Medal, our country’s highest honor for service through the arts. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages and have been adopted into the core curriculum in high schools and colleges throughout the nation. Critical acclaim for her work includes multiple awards from the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association, a James Beard award, two-time Oprah Book Club selection, and the national book award of South Africa, among others. She was awarded Britain's prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) for both Demon Copperhead and The Lacuna, making Kingsolver the first author in the history of the prize to win it twice. In 2011, Kingsolver was awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for the body of her work. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
She has two daughters, Camille (born in 1987) and Lily (1996). She and her husband, Steven Hopp, live on a farm in southern Appalachia where they raise an extensive vegetable garden and Icelandic sheep.
Her books, in order of publication, are: The Bean Trees (1988), Homeland (1989), Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike (1989), Animal Dreams (1990), Another America (1992), Pigs in Heaven (1993), High Tide in Tucson (1995), The Poisonwood Bible (1998), Prodigal Summer (2000), Small Wonder (2002), Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, with photographer Annie Griffiths (2002), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (2007), The Lacuna (2009), Flight Behavior (2012), Unsheltered (2018), How To Fly (In 10,000 Easy Lessons) (2020), Demon Copperhead (2022), and coauthored with Lily Kingsolver, Coyote's Wild Home (2023). She served as editor for Best American Short Stories 2001.
Kingsolver was named one the most important writers of the 20th Century by Writers Digest, and in 2023 won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Demon Copperhead. In 2000 she received the National Humanities Medal, our country’s highest honor for service through the arts. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages and have been adopted into the core curriculum in high schools and colleges throughout the nation. Critical acclaim for her work includes multiple awards from the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association, a James Beard award, two-time Oprah Book Club selection, and the national book award of South Africa, among others. She was awarded Britain's prestigious Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize) for both Demon Copperhead and The Lacuna, making Kingsolver the first author in the history of the prize to win it twice. In 2011, Kingsolver was awarded the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for the body of her work. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
She has two daughters, Camille (born in 1987) and Lily (1996). She and her husband, Steven Hopp, live on a farm in southern Appalachia where they raise an extensive vegetable garden and Icelandic sheep.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48,016 reviews
December 28, 2022
Everyone and their dog has been falling all over the place expressing their love for Barbara Kingsolver’s latest release. And then there’s me . . . .
I’m not here to yuck your yum so Imma keep it real short. In a nutshell, Kingsolver is an author who is consistently trying to write the “Great American Novel” and nothing demonstrates that more than her undertaking a modernization of David Copperfield. In short, I just don’t think she’s my jam. Nearly 25 years ago The Poisonwood Bible knocked my socks off, but it’s a book I could never re-read in fear that I wouldn’t have the same reaction a second time around.
My main issue with this one is that I am so over clichéd, stereotypes of Appalachia. Boy oh boy did Demon Copperhead deliver them in spades. Our impoverished lead goes from bad to worse when it comes to an abusive household, to being orphaned, to one awful foster home situation to another (but don't worry - it ends at neglect - Kingsolver isn't ready to go to the darkest of locales when it comes to Demon's childhood). Eventually genetics get on young Demon’s side and he becomes a local high school football hero . . . until, you guessed it, his knee gets blown out and he becomes an addict. But don’t worry – he still gets a fairly happy ending and sees the ocean *eyeroll*
In addition to the been there/done that feel of this entire story, you can’t re-write history in an attempt to prove how “woke” you are. A high school English teacher (and a black teacher in the middle of the Holler, at that) in the early to mid-1990s wouldn't have dared to explain the movement of literature changing the term “black” to “Black.” Not to mention how regular folks were not aware of the dangers of opioids or how Big Pharma was controlling the narrative when they first hit the market, but the nurse in here was 100% in the know of what's going down. You want to learn more about the modern-day drug crises and how it came to be? Read Dopesick.
I’m not here to yuck your yum so Imma keep it real short. In a nutshell, Kingsolver is an author who is consistently trying to write the “Great American Novel” and nothing demonstrates that more than her undertaking a modernization of David Copperfield. In short, I just don’t think she’s my jam. Nearly 25 years ago The Poisonwood Bible knocked my socks off, but it’s a book I could never re-read in fear that I wouldn’t have the same reaction a second time around.
My main issue with this one is that I am so over clichéd, stereotypes of Appalachia. Boy oh boy did Demon Copperhead deliver them in spades. Our impoverished lead goes from bad to worse when it comes to an abusive household, to being orphaned, to one awful foster home situation to another (but don't worry - it ends at neglect - Kingsolver isn't ready to go to the darkest of locales when it comes to Demon's childhood). Eventually genetics get on young Demon’s side and he becomes a local high school football hero . . . until, you guessed it, his knee gets blown out and he becomes an addict. But don’t worry – he still gets a fairly happy ending and sees the ocean *eyeroll*
In addition to the been there/done that feel of this entire story, you can’t re-write history in an attempt to prove how “woke” you are. A high school English teacher (and a black teacher in the middle of the Holler, at that) in the early to mid-1990s wouldn't have dared to explain the movement of literature changing the term “black” to “Black.” Not to mention how regular folks were not aware of the dangers of opioids or how Big Pharma was controlling the narrative when they first hit the market, but the nurse in here was 100% in the know of what's going down. You want to learn more about the modern-day drug crises and how it came to be? Read Dopesick.
October 25, 2022
It’s barely Halloween. The ball won’t drop in Times Square for another two full months, and more good books will surely appear before the year ends. But I already know: My favorite novel of 2022 is Barbara Kingsolver’s “Demon Copperhead.”
Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love. Damon is the only child of a teenage alcoholic — “an expert at rehab” — in southwest Virginia. He becomes aware of his status early, around the same time he gets the nickname Demon. “I was a lowlife,” he says, “born in the mobile home, so that’s like the Eagle Scout of trailer trash.” The more he grasps the connotations of words like “hick” and “redneck,” the more discouraged he becomes. “This is what I would say if I could, to all the smart people of the world with their dumb hillbilly jokes. …We can actually hear you.”
Now, we can hear him.
“You get to a point of not giving a damn over people thinking you’re worthless,” he says. “Mainly by getting there first yourself.”
Demon is right about America’s condescending derision, but he’s wrong about his own worth. In a feat of literary alchemy, Kingsolver uses the fire of that boy’s spirit to illuminate — and singe — the darkest recesses of our country.
The essential Americanness of “Demon Copperhead” feels particularly ironic given that Kingsolver has drawn her inspiration directly from one of England’s most celebrated classics: “David Copperfield,” by Charles Dickens. In a brief afterword, Kingsolver expresses her gratitude to Dickens and acknowledges....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love. Damon is the only child of a teenage alcoholic — “an expert at rehab” — in southwest Virginia. He becomes aware of his status early, around the same time he gets the nickname Demon. “I was a lowlife,” he says, “born in the mobile home, so that’s like the Eagle Scout of trailer trash.” The more he grasps the connotations of words like “hick” and “redneck,” the more discouraged he becomes. “This is what I would say if I could, to all the smart people of the world with their dumb hillbilly jokes. …We can actually hear you.”
Now, we can hear him.
“You get to a point of not giving a damn over people thinking you’re worthless,” he says. “Mainly by getting there first yourself.”
Demon is right about America’s condescending derision, but he’s wrong about his own worth. In a feat of literary alchemy, Kingsolver uses the fire of that boy’s spirit to illuminate — and singe — the darkest recesses of our country.
The essential Americanness of “Demon Copperhead” feels particularly ironic given that Kingsolver has drawn her inspiration directly from one of England’s most celebrated classics: “David Copperfield,” by Charles Dickens. In a brief afterword, Kingsolver expresses her gratitude to Dickens and acknowledges....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
October 5, 2022
This novel is described as a modern day version of David Copperfield, which I’ve never read. I’m generally not a fan of rewrites of classics, so if I had read it, I may not have picked this one up even though Barbara Kingsolver is such an amazing writer whose books I have loved over the years. I’m grateful to have read this novel because I would have missed out on a brilliant story - brutal, but brilliant and a character who was in my heart from the first to the last page .
An addicted teenage mother, an abusive stepfather, a corrupt foster care system reeking of abuse is what Demon Copperhead endures at the young age of ten years old. Working on a tobacco farm, then with a family who has him sleeping in a dog room, hungry, taking leftovers from school lunch trays, he endures - somehow without speaking up to his case worker for fear of what his next foster situation would be. His next one turns out to be life altering in more ways than one. This is an in your face, in your gut punch, no holds barred portrayal all of that, and a stabbing expose of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia.
It’s depressing and heartbreaking to read with little respite. I was drained at times . As with other books by Kingsolver, there is a social message here, but it’s not just told with statistics of addictions, deaths, but through the moving story of a character as a little boy and then as a young man, with all of the horrors he faced in between, feeling as real as it gets .
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
An addicted teenage mother, an abusive stepfather, a corrupt foster care system reeking of abuse is what Demon Copperhead endures at the young age of ten years old. Working on a tobacco farm, then with a family who has him sleeping in a dog room, hungry, taking leftovers from school lunch trays, he endures - somehow without speaking up to his case worker for fear of what his next foster situation would be. His next one turns out to be life altering in more ways than one. This is an in your face, in your gut punch, no holds barred portrayal all of that, and a stabbing expose of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia.
It’s depressing and heartbreaking to read with little respite. I was drained at times . As with other books by Kingsolver, there is a social message here, but it’s not just told with statistics of addictions, deaths, but through the moving story of a character as a little boy and then as a young man, with all of the horrors he faced in between, feeling as real as it gets .
I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
October 18, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Demon Copperhead entered the world in a single trailer, born to a single mother who hadn’t a clue how to look after him - nor did she have the means. The southern Appalachian mountains of Virginia is where he took his first breath - a place of dire poverty, though most local folk were in the same boat, so it was pretty normal. Demon’s mum though had additional problems, and that meant even less of the basic needs for the two of them. Thank God for good neighbours.
I won’t go into the synopsis as this is a lengthy (over 600 pages) and eventful novel. However, this is a tale of love and the need for love, it’s about dreams and anger, hate and pain, and what really stands out is how the opioid crisis is responsible for many of those bad feelings, and demonstrates how it wrecks the lives that might otherwise have climbed out of that daily grinding poverty, perhaps realising those long held dreams and ambitions.
The journey for Demon Copperhead is long and eventful, (epic is the best way to describe it). The writing is so beautiful - exquisite even, but it takes the reader to places so dark, depressing and dangerous with its intimate detail, that you wonder why you find such beauty in it. But it’s there on every page, in every event and every crisis - harrowing yet uplifting. Has to be one of the standout books of the year - it is stunning!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my much appreciated ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Demon Copperhead entered the world in a single trailer, born to a single mother who hadn’t a clue how to look after him - nor did she have the means. The southern Appalachian mountains of Virginia is where he took his first breath - a place of dire poverty, though most local folk were in the same boat, so it was pretty normal. Demon’s mum though had additional problems, and that meant even less of the basic needs for the two of them. Thank God for good neighbours.
I won’t go into the synopsis as this is a lengthy (over 600 pages) and eventful novel. However, this is a tale of love and the need for love, it’s about dreams and anger, hate and pain, and what really stands out is how the opioid crisis is responsible for many of those bad feelings, and demonstrates how it wrecks the lives that might otherwise have climbed out of that daily grinding poverty, perhaps realising those long held dreams and ambitions.
The journey for Demon Copperhead is long and eventful, (epic is the best way to describe it). The writing is so beautiful - exquisite even, but it takes the reader to places so dark, depressing and dangerous with its intimate detail, that you wonder why you find such beauty in it. But it’s there on every page, in every event and every crisis - harrowing yet uplifting. Has to be one of the standout books of the year - it is stunning!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my much appreciated ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
February 5, 2023
I waited a long time to get my turn for this book from the library. I was anticipating it with relish, because several of my trusted friends had loved it and said they, like me, had not enjoyed Kingsolver’s last few books. I was all prepared to be swept away, and I was in the beginning, but Demon has a voice that captivates you and then wears on you and then wears you out.
At least Kingsolver wasn’t preaching to me in this book, but she did seem to be in love with the sound of her own voice, because she wrote pages and pages on subjects that could have sufficed with much less, and she repeated herself endlessly regarding both the lousy DSS system, the details of drug addiction, and the hopelessness of anyone who is born in the hills of Appalachia. At some point, for me, that hopelessness became a bit like the prejudice she seemed to be railing against.
The first 200 pages of this book were somewhat enchanting, the middle was a slog, and the ending was not enough to make up for that. It was not a bad read, but not the 5-star read I had hoped for. Perhaps in the end, you cannot tell someone else’s story as well as they do. David Copperfield is 10-star material, Kingsolver transformed it into something just a tad over okay.
I had said to myself once before that Kingsolver and I were done with one another, but this book tempted me back for another try. This time, I think, the breakup is permanent. So many other authors I want to give a fair chance.
If you have the stomach for the endless beating of the opioid drum, this book will be for you. There are meant to be redeeming moments at the end, promises of better lives for a few, but those seem more like dreams, while the sinking and despair that consumed ninety percent of this book seemed all too real.
At least Kingsolver wasn’t preaching to me in this book, but she did seem to be in love with the sound of her own voice, because she wrote pages and pages on subjects that could have sufficed with much less, and she repeated herself endlessly regarding both the lousy DSS system, the details of drug addiction, and the hopelessness of anyone who is born in the hills of Appalachia. At some point, for me, that hopelessness became a bit like the prejudice she seemed to be railing against.
The first 200 pages of this book were somewhat enchanting, the middle was a slog, and the ending was not enough to make up for that. It was not a bad read, but not the 5-star read I had hoped for. Perhaps in the end, you cannot tell someone else’s story as well as they do. David Copperfield is 10-star material, Kingsolver transformed it into something just a tad over okay.
I had said to myself once before that Kingsolver and I were done with one another, but this book tempted me back for another try. This time, I think, the breakup is permanent. So many other authors I want to give a fair chance.
If you have the stomach for the endless beating of the opioid drum, this book will be for you. There are meant to be redeeming moments at the end, promises of better lives for a few, but those seem more like dreams, while the sinking and despair that consumed ninety percent of this book seemed all too real.
June 18, 2023
Now Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 *aaargh*
Joint Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2023 with the equally simplistic Trust
A twist on David Copperfield, focusing on an Appalachian boy whose life is overshadowed by the opioid epidemic? That sounds like a fantastic idea. And Kingsolver does a great job crafting Demon Copperhead's voice, making the resourceful boy (and later young man) sound witty, empathetic, and engaging, infusing his whole vibe with some The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird. Of course we're also dealing with an important topic, and Kingsolver is here to give the overlooked and left-behind a voice - but this is where the problem starts.
I am not at all saying that a successful, famous writer is generally unable to convey what it means to be a person like destitute Demon in the rural South, it just doesn't work very well in this particular text, and the reason can be found in the plot itself: While Kingsolver has a lot of empathy for her characters and is obviously very upset about the societal situation - this book is rooted in her impetus for change -, everything that happens to Demon is already present in the readers' preconceived notions of socially unstable, "backwards" Appalachia: Teenage single mom with substance abuse issues who dies? Check. Mean step-dad? Check. Abuse in the foster system? Check. Demon gets addicted to opioids? Check.
Sure, the language is often evocative due to the strong narrator Demon, but at the end of the day, Kingsolver activates stereotypes that already exist in the readers' repertoire, and then adds some social commentary (capitalism is bad; rural communities deserve respect; the Sackler family is trash, etc.), so we all can feel like we are standing on the correct side, that we who are reading this are the good ones. This unchallenging outrage activism, no matter how well-intentioned, has a tendency to be patronizing and to serve as a narcissistic tool of moral self-assurance. It's, to put it bluntly, intellectually lazy, and it certainly does not help to show people from Appalachia in a new, more nuanced light - on the contrary: It only tells us what we already believe to be true.
I, for once, want literature to challenge my beliefs, especially regarding communities I am not familiar with, so groups of people that only exist as reflections in my head to begin with (I am German, but I think Appalachia is a region that is unfamiliar to many Americans as well). When a novel relies so heavily on widespread notions and then adds clichéd narrative devices (of course Demon, in the most classic of all classic Bildungsroman motifs, is also an artist; and there is the tragic twist; and a football coach; and the good-hearted grandmother, ... *argh*), it becomes rather annoying, especially because this novel is way, way, way too long. Boy, it is long. It's insane. It just goes on. And on. And then it goes on. And finally, the ending is pure kitsch.
So I guess this has solid chances to get Booker-nominated as the Oprah book club crowd-pleaser with the socially relevant message that outstays its welcome and is of dubious literary merit. If so, I'm glad that I can already cross it off my list. Demon as a character is great though.
Joint Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2023 with the equally simplistic Trust
A twist on David Copperfield, focusing on an Appalachian boy whose life is overshadowed by the opioid epidemic? That sounds like a fantastic idea. And Kingsolver does a great job crafting Demon Copperhead's voice, making the resourceful boy (and later young man) sound witty, empathetic, and engaging, infusing his whole vibe with some The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird. Of course we're also dealing with an important topic, and Kingsolver is here to give the overlooked and left-behind a voice - but this is where the problem starts.
I am not at all saying that a successful, famous writer is generally unable to convey what it means to be a person like destitute Demon in the rural South, it just doesn't work very well in this particular text, and the reason can be found in the plot itself: While Kingsolver has a lot of empathy for her characters and is obviously very upset about the societal situation - this book is rooted in her impetus for change -, everything that happens to Demon is already present in the readers' preconceived notions of socially unstable, "backwards" Appalachia: Teenage single mom with substance abuse issues who dies? Check. Mean step-dad? Check. Abuse in the foster system? Check. Demon gets addicted to opioids? Check.
Sure, the language is often evocative due to the strong narrator Demon, but at the end of the day, Kingsolver activates stereotypes that already exist in the readers' repertoire, and then adds some social commentary (capitalism is bad; rural communities deserve respect; the Sackler family is trash, etc.), so we all can feel like we are standing on the correct side, that we who are reading this are the good ones. This unchallenging outrage activism, no matter how well-intentioned, has a tendency to be patronizing and to serve as a narcissistic tool of moral self-assurance. It's, to put it bluntly, intellectually lazy, and it certainly does not help to show people from Appalachia in a new, more nuanced light - on the contrary: It only tells us what we already believe to be true.
I, for once, want literature to challenge my beliefs, especially regarding communities I am not familiar with, so groups of people that only exist as reflections in my head to begin with (I am German, but I think Appalachia is a region that is unfamiliar to many Americans as well). When a novel relies so heavily on widespread notions and then adds clichéd narrative devices (of course Demon, in the most classic of all classic Bildungsroman motifs, is also an artist; and there is the tragic twist; and a football coach; and the good-hearted grandmother, ... *argh*), it becomes rather annoying, especially because this novel is way, way, way too long. Boy, it is long. It's insane. It just goes on. And on. And then it goes on. And finally, the ending is pure kitsch.
So I guess this has solid chances to get Booker-nominated as the Oprah book club crowd-pleaser with the socially relevant message that outstays its welcome and is of dubious literary merit. If so, I'm glad that I can already cross it off my list. Demon as a character is great though.
September 28, 2023
I think it is finally time for me to part ways with Kingsolver's books for good. I loved The Poisonwood Bible back in the day, then hated Unsheltered, and all the hype plus my love of David Copperfield convinced me to try this one... but I'm just not feeling whatever magic everyone else did.
I found the characters in Demon Copperhead to be utterly soulless and forgettable. Demon tells his life story and the narration reads like "this happened and then this happened and then this happened", making it impossible for me to become immersed in the story being told. Many reviewers have commented on how emotionally-connected they felt, but sadly I felt the complete opposite.
The more I think about this book, the more I dislike it. I dislike how every cliched predictable thing that could happen, happens. Kid born to a junkie mom-- guess what happens? Kid gets a new stepfather-- guess what happens? Kid goes into foster care-- guess what happens? Kid becomes a star footballer-- guess what happens? Kid gets prescribed oxy-- guess what happens? Kid gets a junkie girlfriend-- guess what happens? In comes a ferocious but charming dog-- guess what fucking happens?
There was a point in the middle of this book, deep in the longest dullest stretch, where Demon meets a character and I knew, I just knew, exactly what would happen to them. It's like one of those country songs that is so tragic it's slightly comical.
Critics have been fawning over this book like it's such a feat of literary fiction when it literally combines every single hillbilly tragedy trope into one life story. And still, somehow, manages to be boring!
Give me Bastard Out of Carolina over this any day.
I found the characters in Demon Copperhead to be utterly soulless and forgettable. Demon tells his life story and the narration reads like "this happened and then this happened and then this happened", making it impossible for me to become immersed in the story being told. Many reviewers have commented on how emotionally-connected they felt, but sadly I felt the complete opposite.
The more I think about this book, the more I dislike it. I dislike how every cliched predictable thing that could happen, happens. Kid born to a junkie mom-- guess what happens? Kid gets a new stepfather-- guess what happens? Kid goes into foster care-- guess what happens? Kid becomes a star footballer-- guess what happens? Kid gets prescribed oxy-- guess what happens? Kid gets a junkie girlfriend-- guess what happens? In comes a ferocious but charming dog-- guess what fucking happens?
There was a point in the middle of this book, deep in the longest dullest stretch, where Demon meets a character and I knew, I just knew, exactly what would happen to them. It's like one of those country songs that is so tragic it's slightly comical.
Critics have been fawning over this book like it's such a feat of literary fiction when it literally combines every single hillbilly tragedy trope into one life story. And still, somehow, manages to be boring!
Give me Bastard Out of Carolina over this any day.
December 13, 2022
I love Barbara Kingsolver, so I picked this as our book club selection. Then, I had the bright idea that since this was based on David Copperfield, I should try reading that first. 800 pages, dry as dirt, and I gave up at page 200. That had me worried. Until the first page of this book. OMG! The language! Her way with words is beyond description. I wanted to highlight multiple phrases per page. I quickly realized I’d be highlighting the whole book. I found myself getting caught up time after time by some phrase or sentence. She just tells it so you really understand something.
This book sucked me in. Demon’s life was one long sorrowful moan. But not just his. Almost everyone in this tale has had trouble. This is a deeply depressing book. But thank heavens it ends on a note of hope for those still standing at the end.
I was impressed that Kingsolver was able to take this re-telling of David Copperfield and make it about the opioid crisis in Appalachia. It shows that not much has changed between Victorian times and now when it comes to the disadvantaged being marginalized and ignored. It starts with an area with little on offer, government programs stretched beyond its limits and first one, then another, industry more interested in profits than people. The plot is a reminder that severe poverty isn’t just limited to the inner cities. If anything, there's as much prejudice against the “trailer trash”. “A blight on the nation…a smudge on the map.”
I highly recommend this and it is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I can’t wait to discuss this at book club.
This book sucked me in. Demon’s life was one long sorrowful moan. But not just his. Almost everyone in this tale has had trouble. This is a deeply depressing book. But thank heavens it ends on a note of hope for those still standing at the end.
I was impressed that Kingsolver was able to take this re-telling of David Copperfield and make it about the opioid crisis in Appalachia. It shows that not much has changed between Victorian times and now when it comes to the disadvantaged being marginalized and ignored. It starts with an area with little on offer, government programs stretched beyond its limits and first one, then another, industry more interested in profits than people. The plot is a reminder that severe poverty isn’t just limited to the inner cities. If anything, there's as much prejudice against the “trailer trash”. “A blight on the nation…a smudge on the map.”
I highly recommend this and it is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. I can’t wait to discuss this at book club.
June 20, 2024
This was... okay?
Granted I did not read "David Copperfield" so it might explain why I'm underwhelmed by this modern retelling. It wasn't bad but a bit of a let down.
Granted I did not read "David Copperfield" so it might explain why I'm underwhelmed by this modern retelling. It wasn't bad but a bit of a let down.
September 21, 2023
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between…”
- Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead is my favorite type of novel. Big and messy and sprawling; funny and tense and sad; and written by an author whose talents are awe-inspiring.
This is an ambitious work, replete with striking tonal shifts, a memorable cast of secondary characters, and powerful set pieces. It has an old-fashioned feel, a bildungsroman that begins with the birth of its main character – Damon Fields, whose nickname gives the book its title – and follows him throughout a tumultuous journey into a premature adulthood. It is wildly imperfect, but its imperfections suit a larger purpose, mirroring the life it is trying to capture.
As long as Demon Copperhead is – and at 560 pages, it’s pretty long – when you get to the last page, you want to keep on going. Kingsolver has created a very particular world, inhabited it with people you can’t forget, and coerced from me an emotional investment that I’m not often willing to make in fiction.
***
The first – and most obvious – thing to be said about Demon Copperhead is that it is a retelling of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, transplanted from nineteenth century England to rural Virginia during the ravages of the Purdue Pharma-sponsored opioid epidemic.
It is not necessary to have read Dickens’s ponderous classic – I’ll admit, I’m only halfway through, and taking a lengthy break – and in some ways, it’s probably better that you have not. In particular, those who’ve read the original will have a very good idea about the direction Kingsolver is going, and some of the twists and turns are the same as they were over 170 years ago.
On the other hand, those who are familiar with the Dickens version will have a good time matching the characters and the plot-points. Dickens’s Uriah Heep, for example, is marvelously transformed by Kingsolver into a creepy assistant football coach.
***
Like David Copperfield, Demon Copperhead is an episodic novel, told in the first-person by our hero, a scrappy and resilient youngster for whom the past is as mysterious as the future. He is born poor in the Appalachian Mountains, to a teenage mother with substance abuse issues. Demon’s lengthy arc consists of his attempts to navigate the minefields of poverty, child protective services, drug use, foreshortened opportunities, and – of course – love.
To say much more would be to say too much. It should suffice that Kingsolver does a fantastic job of utilizing a modified serial approach, so that the forward momentum of Demon Copperhead is always urging you to read just one more page.
***
One of Dickens’s shortcomings – at least in my opinion – is the essential blandness of his main protagonists. It often felt like the chief focus fell on the least interesting person in his books.
That is not a problem here.
Demon is a fascinating creation, and holds the center from first to last. He narrates his tale in a low-key idiom that is stylized without being inaccessible. I don’t know whether Kingsolver was trying to achieve an authentic colloquial expression, and – if she was – I’m in no position to say whether she was successful. The important thing, for me, is that Demon maintained a consistent and engaging voice.
From the start, we are rooting for Demon to succeed. To Kingsolver’s credit, though, she allows him to be flawed. There are moments when he is unlikeable, selfish, self-involved, and borderline awful. Allowing him these dimensions gives him a far deeper humanity than might otherwise have been achieved.
That said, Kingsolver often runs into two different literary traps that I have wholly invented. The first I like to call the Idiot-Genius Paradox, wherein a character is high-functioning, intelligent, and capable, right up to the point where the storyline requires him or her to do something stupid. There is a corollary to this trap for children – let’s call it the Selectively Precocious Child Conundrum – when an author chooses to narrate a story through a youngster whose behavior and actions have only a tenuous relation to their developmental age.
This is a long way of saying that one of the conceits you have to swallow is that Demon – especially early in the novel – would be able to reason and express himself at such an extraordinarily high level, given his supposed minority. And also that these preternatural talents will randomly disappear for drama’s sake.
***
The constellation of people around Demon is head-spinning. When we think of Dickens – if we think of Dickens, that is – we tend to recall his unforgettable supporting casts. At least, that’s been my experience.
In Demon Copperhead, Kingsolver carries on that tradition admirably. Almost everyone who walks across Demon’s path makes an impression. Just a short list includes his mother, struggling with her addictions; an abusive stepfather who mistakes his cruelty for teaching; a child support worker with one eye on the door; an exploitative foster father trying to keep his farm afloat; a hilarious man-hating old woman; and a football coach willing to cut a few corners to achieve the status of local legend.
This doesn’t even include Demon’s love interests, or Sterling “Fast Forward” Ford, who is so deftly, frighteningly drawn that I am certain that whoever plays him in the movie will earn an Oscar.
***
Carrying on the Dickensian tradition of social criticism, Kingsolver becomes the latest author to attempt an explanation for the failures of the rural white working class. She does this with varying levels of success.
At its best, Demon Copperhead paints a vivid picture of an overstressed child support division, schools that care more about athletics than academics, and people who can’t see a way forward. Especially effective is the interweaving of oxycontin into the storylines. It begins as a background presence, then explodes into the open, revealing a hellscape of pill farms and profit-mad drug reps working through profit-mad doctors, both in service to a rapacious corporation, leaving behind hollowed-out users cycling through withdrawal, if they’re lucky enough to survive.
Unfortunately, there are times when Demon Copperhead slips into half-conceived lectures implying that rural folk are stuck because the rest of the country is being mean to them. This is less than convincing, but maybe I’m a bit fatigued from this dialogue, which has been racing in circles since 2016.
In short, I’m over trying to understand people who don’t seem that interested in understanding me.
***
For all their detail, Dickens’s novels always felt a tad sanitized. His slums, while slummy, were basically false, shorn of cursing, sex, violence, and excretory filth.
Demon Copperhead has all those missing elements, many times over.
So, be aware of that.
***
When I finish a book, I never have the chance to write about it immediately. Days – even weeks – can elapse before I try to put my thoughts into complete sentences that are at least adjacent to grammatical soundness.
This interim is often a good indicator of my true feelings for a book. It gives me a period to decide if my initial response – possibly skewed by the adrenal rush of finishing – holds up to reflection.
When I finished Demon Copperhead, it had me breathless. That sensation remains.
There are moments, weeks later, when I find myself thinking about all the different people I met, and wondering where they went, how they’re doing, and if they’re going to be okay. I’ve even found myself staring at the finished book on my shelf, pondering whether I should open it again, just to check on everyone one last time.
- Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead is my favorite type of novel. Big and messy and sprawling; funny and tense and sad; and written by an author whose talents are awe-inspiring.
This is an ambitious work, replete with striking tonal shifts, a memorable cast of secondary characters, and powerful set pieces. It has an old-fashioned feel, a bildungsroman that begins with the birth of its main character – Damon Fields, whose nickname gives the book its title – and follows him throughout a tumultuous journey into a premature adulthood. It is wildly imperfect, but its imperfections suit a larger purpose, mirroring the life it is trying to capture.
As long as Demon Copperhead is – and at 560 pages, it’s pretty long – when you get to the last page, you want to keep on going. Kingsolver has created a very particular world, inhabited it with people you can’t forget, and coerced from me an emotional investment that I’m not often willing to make in fiction.
***
The first – and most obvious – thing to be said about Demon Copperhead is that it is a retelling of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, transplanted from nineteenth century England to rural Virginia during the ravages of the Purdue Pharma-sponsored opioid epidemic.
It is not necessary to have read Dickens’s ponderous classic – I’ll admit, I’m only halfway through, and taking a lengthy break – and in some ways, it’s probably better that you have not. In particular, those who’ve read the original will have a very good idea about the direction Kingsolver is going, and some of the twists and turns are the same as they were over 170 years ago.
On the other hand, those who are familiar with the Dickens version will have a good time matching the characters and the plot-points. Dickens’s Uriah Heep, for example, is marvelously transformed by Kingsolver into a creepy assistant football coach.
***
Like David Copperfield, Demon Copperhead is an episodic novel, told in the first-person by our hero, a scrappy and resilient youngster for whom the past is as mysterious as the future. He is born poor in the Appalachian Mountains, to a teenage mother with substance abuse issues. Demon’s lengthy arc consists of his attempts to navigate the minefields of poverty, child protective services, drug use, foreshortened opportunities, and – of course – love.
To say much more would be to say too much. It should suffice that Kingsolver does a fantastic job of utilizing a modified serial approach, so that the forward momentum of Demon Copperhead is always urging you to read just one more page.
***
One of Dickens’s shortcomings – at least in my opinion – is the essential blandness of his main protagonists. It often felt like the chief focus fell on the least interesting person in his books.
That is not a problem here.
Demon is a fascinating creation, and holds the center from first to last. He narrates his tale in a low-key idiom that is stylized without being inaccessible. I don’t know whether Kingsolver was trying to achieve an authentic colloquial expression, and – if she was – I’m in no position to say whether she was successful. The important thing, for me, is that Demon maintained a consistent and engaging voice.
From the start, we are rooting for Demon to succeed. To Kingsolver’s credit, though, she allows him to be flawed. There are moments when he is unlikeable, selfish, self-involved, and borderline awful. Allowing him these dimensions gives him a far deeper humanity than might otherwise have been achieved.
That said, Kingsolver often runs into two different literary traps that I have wholly invented. The first I like to call the Idiot-Genius Paradox, wherein a character is high-functioning, intelligent, and capable, right up to the point where the storyline requires him or her to do something stupid. There is a corollary to this trap for children – let’s call it the Selectively Precocious Child Conundrum – when an author chooses to narrate a story through a youngster whose behavior and actions have only a tenuous relation to their developmental age.
This is a long way of saying that one of the conceits you have to swallow is that Demon – especially early in the novel – would be able to reason and express himself at such an extraordinarily high level, given his supposed minority. And also that these preternatural talents will randomly disappear for drama’s sake.
***
The constellation of people around Demon is head-spinning. When we think of Dickens – if we think of Dickens, that is – we tend to recall his unforgettable supporting casts. At least, that’s been my experience.
In Demon Copperhead, Kingsolver carries on that tradition admirably. Almost everyone who walks across Demon’s path makes an impression. Just a short list includes his mother, struggling with her addictions; an abusive stepfather who mistakes his cruelty for teaching; a child support worker with one eye on the door; an exploitative foster father trying to keep his farm afloat; a hilarious man-hating old woman; and a football coach willing to cut a few corners to achieve the status of local legend.
This doesn’t even include Demon’s love interests, or Sterling “Fast Forward” Ford, who is so deftly, frighteningly drawn that I am certain that whoever plays him in the movie will earn an Oscar.
***
Carrying on the Dickensian tradition of social criticism, Kingsolver becomes the latest author to attempt an explanation for the failures of the rural white working class. She does this with varying levels of success.
At its best, Demon Copperhead paints a vivid picture of an overstressed child support division, schools that care more about athletics than academics, and people who can’t see a way forward. Especially effective is the interweaving of oxycontin into the storylines. It begins as a background presence, then explodes into the open, revealing a hellscape of pill farms and profit-mad drug reps working through profit-mad doctors, both in service to a rapacious corporation, leaving behind hollowed-out users cycling through withdrawal, if they’re lucky enough to survive.
Unfortunately, there are times when Demon Copperhead slips into half-conceived lectures implying that rural folk are stuck because the rest of the country is being mean to them. This is less than convincing, but maybe I’m a bit fatigued from this dialogue, which has been racing in circles since 2016.
In short, I’m over trying to understand people who don’t seem that interested in understanding me.
***
For all their detail, Dickens’s novels always felt a tad sanitized. His slums, while slummy, were basically false, shorn of cursing, sex, violence, and excretory filth.
Demon Copperhead has all those missing elements, many times over.
So, be aware of that.
***
When I finish a book, I never have the chance to write about it immediately. Days – even weeks – can elapse before I try to put my thoughts into complete sentences that are at least adjacent to grammatical soundness.
This interim is often a good indicator of my true feelings for a book. It gives me a period to decide if my initial response – possibly skewed by the adrenal rush of finishing – holds up to reflection.
When I finished Demon Copperhead, it had me breathless. That sensation remains.
There are moments, weeks later, when I find myself thinking about all the different people I met, and wondering where they went, how they’re doing, and if they’re going to be okay. I’ve even found myself staring at the finished book on my shelf, pondering whether I should open it again, just to check on everyone one last time.
March 5, 2023
Can't carry on unfortunately - DNF after 150-odd pages. The thought of proceeding with this one filled me with dread. For me, there are two massive indicators of a troubled reading experience 1) No matter what time of day, one feels sleepy after reading 10 pages and 2) The thought of picking up the book fills one with dread.
I found the story tedious, the narrator and the style of narration grated on my nerves - and I didn't really have any interest in what was happening.
Sorry - this one beat me.
I found the story tedious, the narrator and the style of narration grated on my nerves - and I didn't really have any interest in what was happening.
Sorry - this one beat me.
October 22, 2022
E-Book ….
and Audiobook….(read by Charlie Thurston who was absolutely as masterful reading this monumental American epic as Barbara Kingsolver was in writing it)
…..21 hours long and 3 minutes
By now….most conscientious—attentive diligent readers have heard ‘something’ about this book — The New Oprah Pick - 560 pages long —
Barbara Kingsolver has taken a literary classic, David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens and makes it her own.
Set in the mountains of Southern Appalachia….(a neglected area of Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains)
The area is home to Barbara today.
A little about Barbara Kingsolver:
….not only is she a best selling author of America contemporary novels, nonfiction, and poetry, but she is also a freelance journalist and political activist. With skillful talent, her writing encourages a more just world….
current social issues, environmental issues, human rights, and deeply traumatic dilemmas.
Her protagonists tend to be resilient— surviving day-to-day struggles…..she does this with humor to lighten the tone — love — strength —and hope.
Her storytelling — mixed with political and social passion—“hope to leave the world a little more reasonable and just”….
are wonderfully intimate, emotional, heartbreaking and heart endearing stories.
I was a huge fan of Kingsolver’s early books…”The Bean Trees”, “Animal Dreams”, and “Pigs in Heaven”, ….that took place in Arizona where she lived for many years.
When “The Poisonwood Bible” came out in 2009….(a fairly new experience for me in styling: each character taking their turn to tell the story— felt so fresh and revolutionary to me)…..taking place in Africa. I was so taken so affected by the storytelling itself…..it’s a book that has never left me.
But….
I have never yet read any other book that I felt accomplished that type of narrative —(a narrative circle of family characters)….I thought it was soooo brilliant….
yet, since 2009,
I’ve read many more authors who adopted the TAKE TURNS styling, but for me, most of the time they have a ‘paint-by-numbers’ quality to me.
NOT Barbara Kingsolver! For me, she was the Queen creator of unique ‘narrative-circle’. Her crafting felt inventive & primitive — fitting to the jungle setting where a Baptist preacher took his wife and four daughters.
So….clearly “The Poisonwood Bible” is still my favorite Kingsolver book…..
but…..”Demon Copperhead” —with a rapturous and heroically protagonist—comes in as a very close 2nd favorite.
I couldn’t agree more with this statement: “Demon is a voice for the ages—akin to Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield—only even more resilient”.
Demon Copperhead reflects social and political viewpoints through realistic characters. The socioeconomic messages are felt throughout….
but…it’s the nitty-gritty-bigger-than-life-immersive storytelling— with Demon ‘telling-this story’…..looking back on his coming-of-age life….that unabashedly delves into the hearts and souls of her characters — exposing something so raw and tender. Humanity is being exposed!
So….ABOUT …some of those ‘nitty-gritty’ details….
…..Some CHARM nitty gritty’s:
….like Demon’s love for snicker bars, comics, and playing spitball with other orphan kids
…..Some MAKE YOUR HEART ACHE nitty gritty’s:
…..like being born into poverty by a teenage-single mother. Being tossed around from one Foster Care home to another, each worse than the next….
no socks, no winter coat, lots of child labor —scrubbing and cleaning, cuttin tobacco, being called a “dead junkie’s kid”, taking crap from teachers, bullying kids, laughed at by girls, hunger….(so much hunger), opioid addiction, (damn—it was everywhere in those Appalachia mountains), ….
Yet…..people were saying “a cripple was a punishment from God”?….. (what’s wrong with people?)
It’s the tossing of a sentence here or there — that will spark-a-fire-in readers ‘feeling’ ANGER FOR THE CONDITIONS of life —
I CAN’T IMAGINE ANY READER NOT FINDING THIS NOVEL FULLY ABSORBING—and DEEPLY AFFECTING-
The full range of emotions are felt from birth into Demon’s adulthood.
There are numerous themes and plot lines to contemplate….
Demon’s tiny, pretty, mom, for example — she was not a bad person — she just wasn’t well. Looking through the eyes of Demon — he held onto the best parts of his mom. He loved being told that he was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Demon was not only a likable child — but a forgiving character to boot (to a point)….
But when his mother went and re-married a man named Stoner >>a beast of an abusive jerk, he only made Demon’s hard knock life worse.
In one dialogue conversation— Demon was asked, “what he might like to do when he got older?” His replay…..was, “huh?, live”….
To be a growing child with fear — to serious worry if whether or not you will survive to adulthood — let alone indulge a smudge of freedom— a taste of the American dream…is gut-wrenching.
Love and hate are interwoven dangerously close together.
We get clear visuals of the issues of our modern day American foster care system: homeless neglected children— victims of violence, abuse, and drug addictions are rampant.
Children competing for food, hoarding food, and fighting for personal hygiene items is devastating. …..and is still a real issue.
Demon was smart — he could read — draw - (superheroes of course) …and in some ways he was considered a ‘poverty- prodigy’ of sorts. But with so much abuse, addiction, poverty, betrayal all around him, without safety nets…. impoverished communities…it would take a miracle to come out on top.
The ending is hopeful ……but before we get to the end —we journey through loss of innocence, alienation, isolation, cynicism, farm work, sarcasm, history, schools, shame, current events, social events, good versus evil, perseverance,— we meet other impactful characters influencing Demon’s life…(friends, Tommy, Emmy, Betsy, Dick,) Mrs. Peggot (a kind neighbor) — later in High School Coach Winfield and daughter Agnes….a football accident, a very powerful funeral that triggered memories of my own father’s funeral (he was 34- I was 4), —ongoing coming-of-age tales —New Years, new jobs, summer vacations,
a love interest, Dorie, the girl Demon falls in love with ( a complicated drug-related relationship)…..
It’s too easy to get to a point in life …..”where you don’t give a damn if people are thinking that you are worthless”.
Everything about this book is remarkable … The descriptions, the insights, the plot structure, the treacherous hardships, epic, epic epic..
stunning—- beautiful and brilliantly written!
Pulitzer Prize quality!
As Demon himself might say…..”Shit, and Hallelujah”!
He told a damn good story!
and Audiobook….(read by Charlie Thurston who was absolutely as masterful reading this monumental American epic as Barbara Kingsolver was in writing it)
…..21 hours long and 3 minutes
By now….most conscientious—attentive diligent readers have heard ‘something’ about this book — The New Oprah Pick - 560 pages long —
Barbara Kingsolver has taken a literary classic, David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens and makes it her own.
Set in the mountains of Southern Appalachia….(a neglected area of Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains)
The area is home to Barbara today.
A little about Barbara Kingsolver:
….not only is she a best selling author of America contemporary novels, nonfiction, and poetry, but she is also a freelance journalist and political activist. With skillful talent, her writing encourages a more just world….
current social issues, environmental issues, human rights, and deeply traumatic dilemmas.
Her protagonists tend to be resilient— surviving day-to-day struggles…..she does this with humor to lighten the tone — love — strength —and hope.
Her storytelling — mixed with political and social passion—“hope to leave the world a little more reasonable and just”….
are wonderfully intimate, emotional, heartbreaking and heart endearing stories.
I was a huge fan of Kingsolver’s early books…”The Bean Trees”, “Animal Dreams”, and “Pigs in Heaven”, ….that took place in Arizona where she lived for many years.
When “The Poisonwood Bible” came out in 2009….(a fairly new experience for me in styling: each character taking their turn to tell the story— felt so fresh and revolutionary to me)…..taking place in Africa. I was so taken so affected by the storytelling itself…..it’s a book that has never left me.
But….
I have never yet read any other book that I felt accomplished that type of narrative —(a narrative circle of family characters)….I thought it was soooo brilliant….
yet, since 2009,
I’ve read many more authors who adopted the TAKE TURNS styling, but for me, most of the time they have a ‘paint-by-numbers’ quality to me.
NOT Barbara Kingsolver! For me, she was the Queen creator of unique ‘narrative-circle’. Her crafting felt inventive & primitive — fitting to the jungle setting where a Baptist preacher took his wife and four daughters.
So….clearly “The Poisonwood Bible” is still my favorite Kingsolver book…..
but…..”Demon Copperhead” —with a rapturous and heroically protagonist—comes in as a very close 2nd favorite.
I couldn’t agree more with this statement: “Demon is a voice for the ages—akin to Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield—only even more resilient”.
Demon Copperhead reflects social and political viewpoints through realistic characters. The socioeconomic messages are felt throughout….
but…it’s the nitty-gritty-bigger-than-life-immersive storytelling— with Demon ‘telling-this story’…..looking back on his coming-of-age life….that unabashedly delves into the hearts and souls of her characters — exposing something so raw and tender. Humanity is being exposed!
So….ABOUT …some of those ‘nitty-gritty’ details….
…..Some CHARM nitty gritty’s:
….like Demon’s love for snicker bars, comics, and playing spitball with other orphan kids
…..Some MAKE YOUR HEART ACHE nitty gritty’s:
…..like being born into poverty by a teenage-single mother. Being tossed around from one Foster Care home to another, each worse than the next….
no socks, no winter coat, lots of child labor —scrubbing and cleaning, cuttin tobacco, being called a “dead junkie’s kid”, taking crap from teachers, bullying kids, laughed at by girls, hunger….(so much hunger), opioid addiction, (damn—it was everywhere in those Appalachia mountains), ….
Yet…..people were saying “a cripple was a punishment from God”?….. (what’s wrong with people?)
It’s the tossing of a sentence here or there — that will spark-a-fire-in readers ‘feeling’ ANGER FOR THE CONDITIONS of life —
I CAN’T IMAGINE ANY READER NOT FINDING THIS NOVEL FULLY ABSORBING—and DEEPLY AFFECTING-
The full range of emotions are felt from birth into Demon’s adulthood.
There are numerous themes and plot lines to contemplate….
Demon’s tiny, pretty, mom, for example — she was not a bad person — she just wasn’t well. Looking through the eyes of Demon — he held onto the best parts of his mom. He loved being told that he was the best thing that ever happened to her.
Demon was not only a likable child — but a forgiving character to boot (to a point)….
But when his mother went and re-married a man named Stoner >>a beast of an abusive jerk, he only made Demon’s hard knock life worse.
In one dialogue conversation— Demon was asked, “what he might like to do when he got older?” His replay…..was, “huh?, live”….
To be a growing child with fear — to serious worry if whether or not you will survive to adulthood — let alone indulge a smudge of freedom— a taste of the American dream…is gut-wrenching.
Love and hate are interwoven dangerously close together.
We get clear visuals of the issues of our modern day American foster care system: homeless neglected children— victims of violence, abuse, and drug addictions are rampant.
Children competing for food, hoarding food, and fighting for personal hygiene items is devastating. …..and is still a real issue.
Demon was smart — he could read — draw - (superheroes of course) …and in some ways he was considered a ‘poverty- prodigy’ of sorts. But with so much abuse, addiction, poverty, betrayal all around him, without safety nets…. impoverished communities…it would take a miracle to come out on top.
The ending is hopeful ……but before we get to the end —we journey through loss of innocence, alienation, isolation, cynicism, farm work, sarcasm, history, schools, shame, current events, social events, good versus evil, perseverance,— we meet other impactful characters influencing Demon’s life…(friends, Tommy, Emmy, Betsy, Dick,) Mrs. Peggot (a kind neighbor) — later in High School Coach Winfield and daughter Agnes….a football accident, a very powerful funeral that triggered memories of my own father’s funeral (he was 34- I was 4), —ongoing coming-of-age tales —New Years, new jobs, summer vacations,
a love interest, Dorie, the girl Demon falls in love with ( a complicated drug-related relationship)…..
It’s too easy to get to a point in life …..”where you don’t give a damn if people are thinking that you are worthless”.
Everything about this book is remarkable … The descriptions, the insights, the plot structure, the treacherous hardships, epic, epic epic..
stunning—- beautiful and brilliantly written!
Pulitzer Prize quality!
As Demon himself might say…..”Shit, and Hallelujah”!
He told a damn good story!
February 14, 2024
“A story will help us make sense of anything.” – Philip Pullman
An interesting and creative take on an old classic, weaving in social justice issues of our time
Charles Dickens wrote from the heart, about what he knew. He wrote about the pervasive fog caused by pollution, child labor, and debtors’ prison. You see…..Dickens’ father went to debtors’ prison, and, as a minor child, Charles lived there. And these books like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield helped to turn the tide on crucial issues.
Similarly, Barbara Kingsolver retells David Copperfield amongst the backdrop of the opioid epidemic in Demon Copperhead.
The first half of the book is extremely engaging and entertaining as the reader follows Demon through his struggles as he tries to forge a path through obstacles he didn’t make, a fascinating mixture of bleak circumstances permeated by rays of hope.
The last half of the book felt a little slow and overly dismal, almost as though the editor ran out of steam. Admittedly, the last half is tricky because there are several subplots that have to be concluded.
Perhaps I have nostalgia for the original David Copperfield, but I remember the Fast Forward character being much more nuanced. It wasn’t clear if this character was a “good” character or a “bad” character. Good people can do bad things, and bad people can do good things. This is one of the things that resonated so deeply with the original—people aren’t stamped as either good or bad, and we have to find out with David about Fast Forward. In Demon Copperhead, the Fast Forward character wasn’t as grey, and his subplot seemed to be dropped only to reappear awkwardly and inorganically at the end.
As far as the ending, it left me wanting. It is entirely forgettable and should have been stronger.
How much I spent:
Hardcover text – $19.50 purchased on Amazon
Audiobook – Free through Libby
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An interesting and creative take on an old classic, weaving in social justice issues of our time
Charles Dickens wrote from the heart, about what he knew. He wrote about the pervasive fog caused by pollution, child labor, and debtors’ prison. You see…..Dickens’ father went to debtors’ prison, and, as a minor child, Charles lived there. And these books like Oliver Twist and David Copperfield helped to turn the tide on crucial issues.
Similarly, Barbara Kingsolver retells David Copperfield amongst the backdrop of the opioid epidemic in Demon Copperhead.
The first half of the book is extremely engaging and entertaining as the reader follows Demon through his struggles as he tries to forge a path through obstacles he didn’t make, a fascinating mixture of bleak circumstances permeated by rays of hope.
The last half of the book felt a little slow and overly dismal, almost as though the editor ran out of steam. Admittedly, the last half is tricky because there are several subplots that have to be concluded.
Perhaps I have nostalgia for the original David Copperfield, but I remember the Fast Forward character being much more nuanced. It wasn’t clear if this character was a “good” character or a “bad” character. Good people can do bad things, and bad people can do good things. This is one of the things that resonated so deeply with the original—people aren’t stamped as either good or bad, and we have to find out with David about Fast Forward. In Demon Copperhead, the Fast Forward character wasn’t as grey, and his subplot seemed to be dropped only to reappear awkwardly and inorganically at the end.
As far as the ending, it left me wanting. It is entirely forgettable and should have been stronger.
How much I spent:
Hardcover text – $19.50 purchased on Amazon
Audiobook – Free through Libby
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March 4, 2023
Demon Copperhead is said to be inspired by David Copperfield, a masterpiece I read a couple of years ago. I most definitely can see that inspiration in Kingsolver’s novel. I would be hesitant, however, to make any further comparisons because for me that puts a contemporary novel on shaky ground when setting it next to a classic, beloved book. I can somehow forgive Charles Dickens for his verbosity. After all, that was the vogue back in his day. David Copperfield was a series of installments, stretched out over a period of time. He didn’t get paid by the word but by installment; still, he had a lot of mouths to feed. Barbara Kingsolver, on the other hand, could have done with a lot less, and I would have been a much happier reader for it. That’s not to say that her points are less important than Dickens’ themes. She absolutely had good reason to share what she did here.
“That November it was still a shiny new thing. OxyContin, God’s gift for the laid-off deep-hole man with his back and neck bones grinding like bags of gravel. For the bent-over lady pulling double shifts at Dollar General with her shot knees and ADHD grandkids to raise by herself. For every football player with some of this or that torn up, and the whole world riding on his getting back in the game. This was our deliverance. The tree was shaken and yes, we did eat of the apple.”
But this isn’t only about drugs and pharmaceutical companies and shady doctors taking advantage of a whole group of people. It’s also about the foster care system and how it fails those most in need of protection. It’s about the long reach of the coal mine owners and how their power reverberated across the years, affecting everything in these individual’s lives from wages to education to property and more. Someone should be held accountable, and that’s where I find Kingsolver’s work to be admirable, without a doubt. However, I still couldn’t get the author out of my head while reading this story - despite the fact it was supposedly told through a young boy-turned-young adult’s point of view. I’ve read and loved some of Kingsolver’s earlier work but have had difficulty with more of her “recent” work for the same reason. If I sense the writer sitting next to me on the couch while I read, I get a little cranky. I would much rather feel like his or her characters are having a nice heart to heart with me instead. And that brings me to another niggle - Demon’s “voice” throughout the book. I just couldn’t jibe with it. It got on my nerves A LOT!
“If a mother is lying in her own piss and pill bottles while they’re slapping the kid she’s shunted out, telling him to look alive: likely the bastard is doomed. Kid born to the junkie is a junkie. He’ll grow up to be everything you don’t want to know, the rotten teeth and dead-zone eyes, the nuisance of locking up your tools in the garage so they don’t walk off, the rent-by-the-week motel squatting well back from the scenic highway.”
I don’t mind gritty but what I couldn’t quite wrap my head around was who on earth is speaking these words? Supposedly, this is Demon as a young boy at the start of the story (the above passage occurs on page 2). Is this a super savvy kid speaking? Or is it Demon as an old man looking back and narrating? Or is it Kingsolver trying really hard to create a voice she feels is authentic? I don’t know, honestly. But it happened over and over again to me throughout the 500+ pages. It's like nails on a chalkboard!
Okay, I’ll lay off the complaining now. This is, after all, a 3-star book in my mind so there has to be another good thing or two, right?! What I loved most were the strong women in Demon’s life. Without them, I’m afraid to imagine Demon’s fate. In these Appalachia stories, I’ve often found that the women are the ones holding down the fort. It’s their strength and perseverance in the face of adversity that forms a safety net for those they care for most. And I can see where these women equate to those in Dickens’ story as well. This makes for a bit of fun, but you surely don’t need to read his book to understand this one. It just adds another level perhaps. There’s even a passage in here where Demon nods to that famous work.
“I had to do the harder English, which was a time suck, reading books. Some of them though, I finished without meaning to… Likewise the Charles Dickens one, seriously older guy, dead and a foreigner, but Christ Jesus did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over and nobody giving a rat’s ass. You’d think he was from around here.”
I’ll say that this is an important topic to explore. Personally, it would work better if it had been edited more thoroughly. Yes, a shorter story can still make a huge impact. I also think a non-fiction piece on the opioid crisis would be a lot more effective for me. I know they are out there, and I will explore that option more thoroughly. Now, would I have loved this more if Richard Armitage had been reading it to me as he did David Copperfield? Damn straight I would have!! He could have read another 500 pages of this one to me and I’d have been content.
“It hit me pretty hard, how there’s no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning.”
“That November it was still a shiny new thing. OxyContin, God’s gift for the laid-off deep-hole man with his back and neck bones grinding like bags of gravel. For the bent-over lady pulling double shifts at Dollar General with her shot knees and ADHD grandkids to raise by herself. For every football player with some of this or that torn up, and the whole world riding on his getting back in the game. This was our deliverance. The tree was shaken and yes, we did eat of the apple.”
But this isn’t only about drugs and pharmaceutical companies and shady doctors taking advantage of a whole group of people. It’s also about the foster care system and how it fails those most in need of protection. It’s about the long reach of the coal mine owners and how their power reverberated across the years, affecting everything in these individual’s lives from wages to education to property and more. Someone should be held accountable, and that’s where I find Kingsolver’s work to be admirable, without a doubt. However, I still couldn’t get the author out of my head while reading this story - despite the fact it was supposedly told through a young boy-turned-young adult’s point of view. I’ve read and loved some of Kingsolver’s earlier work but have had difficulty with more of her “recent” work for the same reason. If I sense the writer sitting next to me on the couch while I read, I get a little cranky. I would much rather feel like his or her characters are having a nice heart to heart with me instead. And that brings me to another niggle - Demon’s “voice” throughout the book. I just couldn’t jibe with it. It got on my nerves A LOT!
“If a mother is lying in her own piss and pill bottles while they’re slapping the kid she’s shunted out, telling him to look alive: likely the bastard is doomed. Kid born to the junkie is a junkie. He’ll grow up to be everything you don’t want to know, the rotten teeth and dead-zone eyes, the nuisance of locking up your tools in the garage so they don’t walk off, the rent-by-the-week motel squatting well back from the scenic highway.”
I don’t mind gritty but what I couldn’t quite wrap my head around was who on earth is speaking these words? Supposedly, this is Demon as a young boy at the start of the story (the above passage occurs on page 2). Is this a super savvy kid speaking? Or is it Demon as an old man looking back and narrating? Or is it Kingsolver trying really hard to create a voice she feels is authentic? I don’t know, honestly. But it happened over and over again to me throughout the 500+ pages. It's like nails on a chalkboard!
Okay, I’ll lay off the complaining now. This is, after all, a 3-star book in my mind so there has to be another good thing or two, right?! What I loved most were the strong women in Demon’s life. Without them, I’m afraid to imagine Demon’s fate. In these Appalachia stories, I’ve often found that the women are the ones holding down the fort. It’s their strength and perseverance in the face of adversity that forms a safety net for those they care for most. And I can see where these women equate to those in Dickens’ story as well. This makes for a bit of fun, but you surely don’t need to read his book to understand this one. It just adds another level perhaps. There’s even a passage in here where Demon nods to that famous work.
“I had to do the harder English, which was a time suck, reading books. Some of them though, I finished without meaning to… Likewise the Charles Dickens one, seriously older guy, dead and a foreigner, but Christ Jesus did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over and nobody giving a rat’s ass. You’d think he was from around here.”
I’ll say that this is an important topic to explore. Personally, it would work better if it had been edited more thoroughly. Yes, a shorter story can still make a huge impact. I also think a non-fiction piece on the opioid crisis would be a lot more effective for me. I know they are out there, and I will explore that option more thoroughly. Now, would I have loved this more if Richard Armitage had been reading it to me as he did David Copperfield? Damn straight I would have!! He could have read another 500 pages of this one to me and I’d have been content.
“It hit me pretty hard, how there’s no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning.”
January 29, 2023
Who is this Demon Copperhead?? Well, let me tell you: He’s a wild red headed melungeon, whipper snapper of a hillbilly. A young boy with a mind so expansive, how he describes life, is large.
Orphaned at 11, Demon’s teenage years are fraught with sadness and hopelessness. Through foster homes, running away and at last finding his grandmother. A life headed to go off the rails, somehow maintained its balance, until it didn’t. As in life, there are tops and bottoms. In Demon’s, the bottom bottoms out with opiates- plundering his chances of making it out of poverty.
Demon is a character you will grow attached to and cheer for in his early ages simply for his resilience. But life can be tough and heavy choices are made.
Kingsolver, you haven’t lost your touch. This one is epic. This character; this story; the writing. But whoa. It does get dark and heavy for a long part of this journey and it makes one wonder of the helplessness and fear these addicts feel and face in reality.
5⭐️
Your 2nd story to grace my all time favourites standing next to The Poisonwood Bible
Orphaned at 11, Demon’s teenage years are fraught with sadness and hopelessness. Through foster homes, running away and at last finding his grandmother. A life headed to go off the rails, somehow maintained its balance, until it didn’t. As in life, there are tops and bottoms. In Demon’s, the bottom bottoms out with opiates- plundering his chances of making it out of poverty.
Demon is a character you will grow attached to and cheer for in his early ages simply for his resilience. But life can be tough and heavy choices are made.
Kingsolver, you haven’t lost your touch. This one is epic. This character; this story; the writing. But whoa. It does get dark and heavy for a long part of this journey and it makes one wonder of the helplessness and fear these addicts feel and face in reality.
5⭐️
Your 2nd story to grace my all time favourites standing next to The Poisonwood Bible
March 20, 2023
5+
I am far from the first one to be blown away by this phenomenal book. How can one novel be heart-breaking, beautiful, amazing, poignant, and funny? Barbara Kingsolver lives in these mountains she writes about, this area of southern Appalachia that is a place of immense beauty but which is known more for its poverty, unemployment, and addiction. The Appalachian people, people who are often ridiculed for their rural ways and particular speech.“All down the years, words have been flung like pieces of shit, only to get stuck on a truck bumper with up-yours pride. Rednecks, moonshiners, ridgerunners, hicks, deplorables.”Kingsolver writes from the heart with love and understanding. She has written many fine books but, in my opinion, this is her best since The Poisonwood Bible.
Rather than retell the story (No! No! Please don’t!), I will share some of my favorite quotes. Please realize these are just a sampling of the many I might have included.
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end up with nothing, and lose so much.”
“I wanted to go home, which was nowhere, but it’s a feeling you keep having, even after that’s no place anymore.”
“I’d live long enough to know shit doesn’t bounce off.”
“Certain pitiful souls around here see whiteness as their last asset that hasn’t been totaled or repossessed.”
“A junkie catches his flight. That sugar on your brain cells sucks away any other purpose. The human person you were gets yanked out through whatever hole the devil can find.”
“I thought about what Rose said, wanting to see the rest of us hurt, because she was hurting. You have to wonder how much of this whole world’s turning is fueled by that very fire.”
“That’s the deal of sober life: celebrate the fresh start, suck up your sadness for all that was left behind”.
I hope those who haven’t read this masterpiece will love it too.
I am far from the first one to be blown away by this phenomenal book. How can one novel be heart-breaking, beautiful, amazing, poignant, and funny? Barbara Kingsolver lives in these mountains she writes about, this area of southern Appalachia that is a place of immense beauty but which is known more for its poverty, unemployment, and addiction. The Appalachian people, people who are often ridiculed for their rural ways and particular speech.“All down the years, words have been flung like pieces of shit, only to get stuck on a truck bumper with up-yours pride. Rednecks, moonshiners, ridgerunners, hicks, deplorables.”Kingsolver writes from the heart with love and understanding. She has written many fine books but, in my opinion, this is her best since The Poisonwood Bible.
Rather than retell the story (No! No! Please don’t!), I will share some of my favorite quotes. Please realize these are just a sampling of the many I might have included.
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end up with nothing, and lose so much.”
“I wanted to go home, which was nowhere, but it’s a feeling you keep having, even after that’s no place anymore.”
“I’d live long enough to know shit doesn’t bounce off.”
“Certain pitiful souls around here see whiteness as their last asset that hasn’t been totaled or repossessed.”
“A junkie catches his flight. That sugar on your brain cells sucks away any other purpose. The human person you were gets yanked out through whatever hole the devil can find.”
“I thought about what Rose said, wanting to see the rest of us hurt, because she was hurting. You have to wonder how much of this whole world’s turning is fueled by that very fire.”
“That’s the deal of sober life: celebrate the fresh start, suck up your sadness for all that was left behind”.
I hope those who haven’t read this masterpiece will love it too.
January 23, 2023
Demon Copperhead deserves every fiction prize there is. Every single one of them. Even the ones that don't exist.
Many years ago, shortly after I started working at my library, I mentioned to a colleague I had a headache.
"Mabel", sweet and helpful as ever, said to come back to her desk and she'd give me something for it. She pulled out a gallon-size Ziploc bag (that's almost 4 liters, for all the non-United Statians reading this).
Mabel asked me what kind did I want. 'Um, ibuprofen?' I queried, not seeing anything but orange prescription bottles in that see-through plastic bag.
She looked at me and said she didn't have it but any of these pills would help a lot more than ibuprofen would.
I declined, worried to take prescription painkillers. I worried for her, seeing that big ol' bag.
"You don't take all of these, do you, Mabel?", I asked.
She said well of course she did, "Jenna, when you get old, you get a lot of different pains and each of these are for a different one".
With that, Mabel began pulling out bottles, reading the labels as she did. "This here's for my neck. This for my back. Oh, this is the best, it helps my arthritis," she said, shaking a bottle of Oxys.
She continued pulling out bottles, lining them up on the edge of her desk. I think just about every part of her body hurt and every part of her body had its own pill.
A white-haired, intelligent, professionally employed woman, Mabel wasn't your stereotypical addict. She had been a librarian for decades, the favorite of most of our patrons. But, like every other pain pill addict I knew, Mabel's addiction began in the doctor's office. She wasn't some lowlife just looking to get high. She trusted her doctors and believed them that you couldn't get addicted if you really had pain.
There are so many stories about addiction, some true, some based on the truth. Mabel, while not her real name, was a real person with a real addiction that probably killer her (she had a brain aneurysm which are often brought on by opioids). Not all stories have happy endings.
As for this book and this story, I loved it. Loved it in so many ways and for so many reasons. Barbara Kingsolver, being Appalachian, "gets" Appalachians, us hillbillies. She writes with so much authenticity.
These characters? I know them. They live down the street, they come in the library, they shop at Walmart, pushing their "buggies" full of sugar drinks and sugar cereals, trying to get the most amount of calories for their kids for the least amount of dollars.
Ms. Kingsolver also "gets" the pain pill/heroin epidemic, how and why it started, and how greedy pharmaceutical CEOs and everyone under them, down to both the equally greedy doctors and the well-meaning but witless ones, destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives.
There is a lot about addiction in these pages, but there's so much more than that. It is real and deep and emotional and rip-your-heart-out stuff. It is what Hillbilly Elegy could have been if JD Vance wasn't such a stuck on himself braggart asshole.
Young Demon Copperhead had me from the very first page. I knew this kid, I'd seen him grow up, and watched him grow up all over again through the pages of this book. I cannot praise it highly enough, trite as those words are. It's difficult to find words to describe it - again trite, but the truth.
If you want a book that is going to suck you in and hold you rapt and take you on a roller coaster of emotions, Demon Copperhead is the book for you. Don't be intimidated by the length. As another friend wrote in her review (hey, Diane 👋🏼), "it needs every word to get this story told."
Many years ago, shortly after I started working at my library, I mentioned to a colleague I had a headache.
"Mabel", sweet and helpful as ever, said to come back to her desk and she'd give me something for it. She pulled out a gallon-size Ziploc bag (that's almost 4 liters, for all the non-United Statians reading this).
Mabel asked me what kind did I want. 'Um, ibuprofen?' I queried, not seeing anything but orange prescription bottles in that see-through plastic bag.
She looked at me and said she didn't have it but any of these pills would help a lot more than ibuprofen would.
I declined, worried to take prescription painkillers. I worried for her, seeing that big ol' bag.
"You don't take all of these, do you, Mabel?", I asked.
She said well of course she did, "Jenna, when you get old, you get a lot of different pains and each of these are for a different one".
With that, Mabel began pulling out bottles, reading the labels as she did. "This here's for my neck. This for my back. Oh, this is the best, it helps my arthritis," she said, shaking a bottle of Oxys.
She continued pulling out bottles, lining them up on the edge of her desk. I think just about every part of her body hurt and every part of her body had its own pill.
A white-haired, intelligent, professionally employed woman, Mabel wasn't your stereotypical addict. She had been a librarian for decades, the favorite of most of our patrons. But, like every other pain pill addict I knew, Mabel's addiction began in the doctor's office. She wasn't some lowlife just looking to get high. She trusted her doctors and believed them that you couldn't get addicted if you really had pain.
There are so many stories about addiction, some true, some based on the truth. Mabel, while not her real name, was a real person with a real addiction that probably killer her (she had a brain aneurysm which are often brought on by opioids). Not all stories have happy endings.
As for this book and this story, I loved it. Loved it in so many ways and for so many reasons. Barbara Kingsolver, being Appalachian, "gets" Appalachians, us hillbillies. She writes with so much authenticity.
These characters? I know them. They live down the street, they come in the library, they shop at Walmart, pushing their "buggies" full of sugar drinks and sugar cereals, trying to get the most amount of calories for their kids for the least amount of dollars.
Ms. Kingsolver also "gets" the pain pill/heroin epidemic, how and why it started, and how greedy pharmaceutical CEOs and everyone under them, down to both the equally greedy doctors and the well-meaning but witless ones, destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives.
There is a lot about addiction in these pages, but there's so much more than that. It is real and deep and emotional and rip-your-heart-out stuff. It is what Hillbilly Elegy could have been if JD Vance wasn't such a stuck on himself braggart asshole.
Young Demon Copperhead had me from the very first page. I knew this kid, I'd seen him grow up, and watched him grow up all over again through the pages of this book. I cannot praise it highly enough, trite as those words are. It's difficult to find words to describe it - again trite, but the truth.
If you want a book that is going to suck you in and hold you rapt and take you on a roller coaster of emotions, Demon Copperhead is the book for you. Don't be intimidated by the length. As another friend wrote in her review (hey, Diane 👋🏼), "it needs every word to get this story told."
June 16, 2023
3.75⭐
*Joint Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with Hernan Diaz's Trust *
*Winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction*
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”
A retelling of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, in a contemporary Southern Appalachian setting, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is a powerful work of fiction. Part coming of age, part social commentary, the narrative revolves around the eponymous Demon Copperhead, born Damon Fields, (named after his father Damon, who died from an accident before his birth, earning the nickname “Copperhead” on account of his copper wire hair) to an addict mother in a trailer park in Lee County, Virginia. We follow Demon from his childhood through his early adulthood, as he grapples with poverty, loss, abuse, loneliness, and short-lived moments of hope and success as a young athlete with college dreams before an injury derails his plans and his struggle with addiction and substance abuse. Narrated in the first person by Demon, as he shares his perspective on the people and events that shape his life and his worldview, this is a story of grief, resilience and ultimately the search for a sense of belongingness and the will to survive when the odds are stacked against you.
“It hit me pretty hard, how there’s no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning. People will keep on wanting what they want, and you’re on your own.”
Rather than compare this novel to the classic that inspired this story, I prefer to discuss what I felt about this book based on its individual merit.
There is a lot to unpack here. The author writes with compassion in simple yet elegant prose. Barbara Kingsolver not only paints the picture of the lives of those caught up in a vicious cycle of poverty, neglect and addiction, the Opioid Crisis in particular but also takes a grim look at issues such as parental negligence, child abuse and the foster care system among others. The characterizations are superb and the author skillfully weaves a large cast of distinctive characters into the narrative without it becoming overwhelming or too difficult to follow. The author also addresses how outsiders harbor certain preconceived notions about certain communities without totally understanding the challenges they face.
I was engrossed in Demon's journey for the first half of this novel, after which the repetitiveness caused the pace to falter but it does pick up in the last quarter of the story. There are segments in the narrative that I felt were unnecessarily detailed and could have been shorter without affecting the overall impact of the novel.
Though the story is dark and depressing for the most part, it is peppered with moments of humor and hope amid the bleakness that pervades Demon’s life and ends on a hopeful note.
This was my first Barbara Kingsolver novel and I look forward to exploring more of her work.
“But where did it come from, this wanting disease? From how I got born, or the ones that made me, or the crowd I ran with later? Everybody warns about bad influences, but it’s these things already inside you that are going to take you down. The restlessness in your gut, like tomcats gone stupid with their blood feuds, prowling around in the moon- dead dark. The hopeless wishes that won’t quit stalking you: some perfect words you think you could say to somebody to make them see you, and love you, and stay.”
*Joint Winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with Hernan Diaz's Trust *
*Winner of the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction*
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”
A retelling of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, in a contemporary Southern Appalachian setting, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is a powerful work of fiction. Part coming of age, part social commentary, the narrative revolves around the eponymous Demon Copperhead, born Damon Fields, (named after his father Damon, who died from an accident before his birth, earning the nickname “Copperhead” on account of his copper wire hair) to an addict mother in a trailer park in Lee County, Virginia. We follow Demon from his childhood through his early adulthood, as he grapples with poverty, loss, abuse, loneliness, and short-lived moments of hope and success as a young athlete with college dreams before an injury derails his plans and his struggle with addiction and substance abuse. Narrated in the first person by Demon, as he shares his perspective on the people and events that shape his life and his worldview, this is a story of grief, resilience and ultimately the search for a sense of belongingness and the will to survive when the odds are stacked against you.
“It hit me pretty hard, how there’s no kind of sad in this world that will stop it turning. People will keep on wanting what they want, and you’re on your own.”
Rather than compare this novel to the classic that inspired this story, I prefer to discuss what I felt about this book based on its individual merit.
There is a lot to unpack here. The author writes with compassion in simple yet elegant prose. Barbara Kingsolver not only paints the picture of the lives of those caught up in a vicious cycle of poverty, neglect and addiction, the Opioid Crisis in particular but also takes a grim look at issues such as parental negligence, child abuse and the foster care system among others. The characterizations are superb and the author skillfully weaves a large cast of distinctive characters into the narrative without it becoming overwhelming or too difficult to follow. The author also addresses how outsiders harbor certain preconceived notions about certain communities without totally understanding the challenges they face.
I was engrossed in Demon's journey for the first half of this novel, after which the repetitiveness caused the pace to falter but it does pick up in the last quarter of the story. There are segments in the narrative that I felt were unnecessarily detailed and could have been shorter without affecting the overall impact of the novel.
Though the story is dark and depressing for the most part, it is peppered with moments of humor and hope amid the bleakness that pervades Demon’s life and ends on a hopeful note.
This was my first Barbara Kingsolver novel and I look forward to exploring more of her work.
“But where did it come from, this wanting disease? From how I got born, or the ones that made me, or the crowd I ran with later? Everybody warns about bad influences, but it’s these things already inside you that are going to take you down. The restlessness in your gut, like tomcats gone stupid with their blood feuds, prowling around in the moon- dead dark. The hopeless wishes that won’t quit stalking you: some perfect words you think you could say to somebody to make them see you, and love you, and stay.”
April 2, 2023
Smart, surprising, poignant, powerful, wrenching, and wonderful. So deeply moving. I will never write a novel this good. Drop the mic, Barbara Kingsolver, drop the mic.
November 22, 2022
The excellent cover design first drew me to this book. I thought a modern adaptation of the classic David Copperfield would be a formidable task. When I saw it was written by Barbara Kingsolver, who wrote three of my favourite books, all wildly different in theme and location, The Poisonwood Bible, The Lacuna, and Flight Behaviour, I knew I wanted to purchase and read this. This is unlike her other books that enthralled me. It is an epic tale (over 600 pages) and a fabulous read. Its characters, the good, the wicked, the uncaring, and the disinterested, will stay in my memory for a long time.
Demon (Damon) Copperhead was born to a teenage, addicted mother on the floor of her trailer. They faced extreme poverty in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. The story follows Demon from his birth to young manhood. The writing is exquisite, although describing dark and disturbing circumstances. Demon narrates his life story, often with a sardonic sense of humour about deplorable situations. His father died before his birth, and Demon inherited his father's good looks and flaming red hair (Copperhead). His mother remarried a vile, abusive, violent man. Kindly neighbours, the Piggotts, were an early refuge for him, and the family also cared for other orphaned or forgotten children from dead or absent relatives.
At age ten, Demon finds himself in the foster system when his mother dies. The system's workers were overburdened and usually uncaring, overlooking terrible situations where they placed their charges. He finds himself working on a farm with several orphaned boys, treated as slave labour, poisoned by the sap from tobacco plants, and nearly starved. Then he is moved to the McCobbs, sleeping in a dog's room, and expected to earn money by working outside the home to supplement the family's income. He rarely can attend school, and when he does, it reinforces his low self-esteem. Always hungry and poorly dressed, he is shunned by his classmates. He works in the trash after school and seldom is clean.
Things start to look better when he moves into the home of a football coach who is determined to make a football player out of Demon for his winning team. He feels unworthy even in his short glory days as a football player. A painful injury on the sports field ends his brief football career and starts him on pain medication and the road to addiction. He becomes friends with Angus, the coach's teenager.
Demon becomes reacquainted with an old friend from the miserable farm where they both laboured. This friend works for a local newspaper laying out ads and cartoon strips. Demon helps him by creating a superhero from the Appalachian region, as all the superheroes are drawn with their exploits in cities. The cartoon strip became very popular and is syndicated to other regional papers. One kindly art teacher recognizes Demon's talent for drawing cartoons and supports his efforts.
However, things are going badly for Demon outside the newspaper office. He has married a girl he thinks is adorable. She is clingy and needy, will not cook or clean the house, and appliances have long stopped functioning. They live in filthy, nasty conditions, and she has fallen deep into drug addiction. She becomes distraught and angry if he leaves home to run errands or go to work. His memories of earlier injustices and poverty flood his mind and emotions with despair.
His old friends are now part of the opioid and meth crisis, and Demon joins them. His best friend from the Piggott home is far into drugs and weird Gothic dress, and he and the once popular QB football hero are dealing. Former friends start dying from overdoses and reckless behaviour. Are there any supportive people who will save some of the addicted youth? Will Demon find a way out of his tragic past?
We learn something about the region's history, the coal mining, those impoverished, marginalized people scorned by others and designated hillbillies and rednecks. ( a word with an interesting origin),
and with social situations little improved since the time of Charles Dickens.
Demon comments on David Copperfield, one of the few books he managed to read in school, " The Charles Dickens one seriously old guy, dead and a foreigner, but Christ Jesus did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over, and nobody gives a rat's ass. You'd think he was from around here."
Highly recommended!
Demon (Damon) Copperhead was born to a teenage, addicted mother on the floor of her trailer. They faced extreme poverty in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia. The story follows Demon from his birth to young manhood. The writing is exquisite, although describing dark and disturbing circumstances. Demon narrates his life story, often with a sardonic sense of humour about deplorable situations. His father died before his birth, and Demon inherited his father's good looks and flaming red hair (Copperhead). His mother remarried a vile, abusive, violent man. Kindly neighbours, the Piggotts, were an early refuge for him, and the family also cared for other orphaned or forgotten children from dead or absent relatives.
At age ten, Demon finds himself in the foster system when his mother dies. The system's workers were overburdened and usually uncaring, overlooking terrible situations where they placed their charges. He finds himself working on a farm with several orphaned boys, treated as slave labour, poisoned by the sap from tobacco plants, and nearly starved. Then he is moved to the McCobbs, sleeping in a dog's room, and expected to earn money by working outside the home to supplement the family's income. He rarely can attend school, and when he does, it reinforces his low self-esteem. Always hungry and poorly dressed, he is shunned by his classmates. He works in the trash after school and seldom is clean.
Things start to look better when he moves into the home of a football coach who is determined to make a football player out of Demon for his winning team. He feels unworthy even in his short glory days as a football player. A painful injury on the sports field ends his brief football career and starts him on pain medication and the road to addiction. He becomes friends with Angus, the coach's teenager.
Demon becomes reacquainted with an old friend from the miserable farm where they both laboured. This friend works for a local newspaper laying out ads and cartoon strips. Demon helps him by creating a superhero from the Appalachian region, as all the superheroes are drawn with their exploits in cities. The cartoon strip became very popular and is syndicated to other regional papers. One kindly art teacher recognizes Demon's talent for drawing cartoons and supports his efforts.
However, things are going badly for Demon outside the newspaper office. He has married a girl he thinks is adorable. She is clingy and needy, will not cook or clean the house, and appliances have long stopped functioning. They live in filthy, nasty conditions, and she has fallen deep into drug addiction. She becomes distraught and angry if he leaves home to run errands or go to work. His memories of earlier injustices and poverty flood his mind and emotions with despair.
His old friends are now part of the opioid and meth crisis, and Demon joins them. His best friend from the Piggott home is far into drugs and weird Gothic dress, and he and the once popular QB football hero are dealing. Former friends start dying from overdoses and reckless behaviour. Are there any supportive people who will save some of the addicted youth? Will Demon find a way out of his tragic past?
We learn something about the region's history, the coal mining, those impoverished, marginalized people scorned by others and designated hillbillies and rednecks. ( a word with an interesting origin),
and with social situations little improved since the time of Charles Dickens.
Demon comments on David Copperfield, one of the few books he managed to read in school, " The Charles Dickens one seriously old guy, dead and a foreigner, but Christ Jesus did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over, and nobody gives a rat's ass. You'd think he was from around here."
Highly recommended!
January 12, 2023
I know some readers want a novel to be concise, revised down to your basic 300-ish pages, but what a luxurious feeling it is when you find yourself more than 300 pages into a book that is really engaging, with characters you truly care about, and realize there are more than 500 pages left to go. You get to know the people in these books better, maybe see them grow over a longer period of time. You get to know the whole world of the book better. But that makes it even sadder when you finish it.
I loved this book, a modern Appalachian retelling of David Copperfield, another very long book that I really liked. Kingsolver is good at both seriousness and playfulness, as Dickens was, and she cares deeply about backwoods, rocky Virginia. This works for me, too- I never lived in Appalachia, but I have deep family roots in West Virginia, and I care about that part of the world. I got invested in young Demon (a nickname for Damon) quickly and cared about him all the way through. Even when he makes awful mistakes in this book, he’s a loving person, and I think his worst mistakes are made out of love. He’s good at making connections with people who might save him, too, and he’s generous with the people in his life even when things are unbelievably hard. I like how Demon, even when he’s going through something terrible, notices and is buoyed by the beauty of the natural world. The sense of place is strong in this book. The characters are even stronger, and you care about them deeply as they suffer in the eye of the opioid storm that still wracks our country. I’ve read almost all of Kingsolver’s books, and I think this has replaced The Poisonwood Bible as my favorite. As always when I’m truly loving a book, I worried about the ending. Would the author stick the landing? I am haunted by the ghosts of a few books that just lost it at the end. But she stuck the landing! I love where the book ends.
Now I kind of feel like going back and rereading David Copperfield? It’s been a while. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me early access to my favorite book of the year.
I loved this book, a modern Appalachian retelling of David Copperfield, another very long book that I really liked. Kingsolver is good at both seriousness and playfulness, as Dickens was, and she cares deeply about backwoods, rocky Virginia. This works for me, too- I never lived in Appalachia, but I have deep family roots in West Virginia, and I care about that part of the world. I got invested in young Demon (a nickname for Damon) quickly and cared about him all the way through. Even when he makes awful mistakes in this book, he’s a loving person, and I think his worst mistakes are made out of love. He’s good at making connections with people who might save him, too, and he’s generous with the people in his life even when things are unbelievably hard. I like how Demon, even when he’s going through something terrible, notices and is buoyed by the beauty of the natural world. The sense of place is strong in this book. The characters are even stronger, and you care about them deeply as they suffer in the eye of the opioid storm that still wracks our country. I’ve read almost all of Kingsolver’s books, and I think this has replaced The Poisonwood Bible as my favorite. As always when I’m truly loving a book, I worried about the ending. Would the author stick the landing? I am haunted by the ghosts of a few books that just lost it at the end. But she stuck the landing! I love where the book ends.
Now I kind of feel like going back and rereading David Copperfield? It’s been a while. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me early access to my favorite book of the year.
November 15, 2022
I've seen almost only raving reviews on this one but unfortunately I just not one of those who loved the book. It's good writing and all that but just did nothing ro draw me in and evoke strong emotions. At the same time I can see why so many others likes it
August 14, 2023
This started well and within 50 pages was exactly what I was hoping it would be, an eye-opening unflinching look at something I’d never thought about before – foster care in Appalachia. I love big socially crusading novels! Turns out that in Virginia in the 90s foster care = child exploitation. Either you cash the DSS cheque and starve them (simple version) or you cash the DSS cheque, starve them and make them work eight hour shifts after school doing some crippling job no one else would do (sophisticated version).
That part of the book was great. Then like a drug deal where they all end up dead it went bad real quick.
To get to the second Big Issue that Demon Copperhead was going to deal with, which is the very famous American opioid addiction crisis, we follow our sparky poor white trash kid through his rescue from the horrible exploiters and his adoption by the local school football coach whose name is Coach and his month by month growing up into an aggravating smart-mouthed kid with all the usual preoccupations of girls, dope, drink and cartooning (and people who have zero interest in American football might want to know that there are many pages devoted to the subject), and it turns out that as soon as this poor kid stops being pounded on and tortured quite so much he becomes very tiresome very quickly. I had been told by reviewers in some big fat newspapers that this was a page turner and had a propulsive plot that never stopped. They lied. The plot keels over onto live support around page 150.
But it wasn’t really the wheezing broke-down plot that was the problem. I jacked in this Pulitzer Prizewinning but not Booker Prize longlisted novel because I could not stand this kid’s voice. Every sentence is crammed with quippy slangy smartarseness. This kid is drenched in rueful self-awareness, wagging his head sorrowfully yet smirkily yet self-deprecatingly, and he never goes to a party or a funeral without describing everybody there & their relation to everybody else & what they were wearing and what they were drinking and what car they were driving or would want to have been driving. This kid thinks he’s wise and funny. He doesn’t seem to think he’s very annoying. And neither does Barbara Kingsolver. He is always saying stuff like
Good people, bad people, what does that even mean? Get down to the rock and the hard place, and we’re all just soft flesh and the weapon at hand.
Voice is crucial to a book in the first person and it’s not easy to get right. Raymond Chandler does, DBC Pierre doesn’t, Irvine Welsh does, JD Salinger doesn’t, Charles Dickens does. My does might be your doesn’t. But if you are one of the many who think Barbara Kingsolver does get it right, then it’s your lucky day, because there’s 548 small-type pages of it.
The reviewer deciding to give up Demon Copperhead
That part of the book was great. Then like a drug deal where they all end up dead it went bad real quick.
To get to the second Big Issue that Demon Copperhead was going to deal with, which is the very famous American opioid addiction crisis, we follow our sparky poor white trash kid through his rescue from the horrible exploiters and his adoption by the local school football coach whose name is Coach and his month by month growing up into an aggravating smart-mouthed kid with all the usual preoccupations of girls, dope, drink and cartooning (and people who have zero interest in American football might want to know that there are many pages devoted to the subject), and it turns out that as soon as this poor kid stops being pounded on and tortured quite so much he becomes very tiresome very quickly. I had been told by reviewers in some big fat newspapers that this was a page turner and had a propulsive plot that never stopped. They lied. The plot keels over onto live support around page 150.
But it wasn’t really the wheezing broke-down plot that was the problem. I jacked in this Pulitzer Prizewinning but not Booker Prize longlisted novel because I could not stand this kid’s voice. Every sentence is crammed with quippy slangy smartarseness. This kid is drenched in rueful self-awareness, wagging his head sorrowfully yet smirkily yet self-deprecatingly, and he never goes to a party or a funeral without describing everybody there & their relation to everybody else & what they were wearing and what they were drinking and what car they were driving or would want to have been driving. This kid thinks he’s wise and funny. He doesn’t seem to think he’s very annoying. And neither does Barbara Kingsolver. He is always saying stuff like
Good people, bad people, what does that even mean? Get down to the rock and the hard place, and we’re all just soft flesh and the weapon at hand.
Voice is crucial to a book in the first person and it’s not easy to get right. Raymond Chandler does, DBC Pierre doesn’t, Irvine Welsh does, JD Salinger doesn’t, Charles Dickens does. My does might be your doesn’t. But if you are one of the many who think Barbara Kingsolver does get it right, then it’s your lucky day, because there’s 548 small-type pages of it.
The reviewer deciding to give up Demon Copperhead
November 11, 2022
Very powerful coming of age story of a boy who the odds were set against from the start.
Demon was born to a drug abusive, single teenaged mother.. in the single wide trailer they lived in, in the mountains of southern Appalachia.
The trailer was owned by the Peggot’s a large family who lived next door and played a big part in his survival most times.
A story of how the opioid drugs moved into this region and destroyed the lives of family members and friends, actually the whole community ..
Demon’s journey through foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success and then addiction following an injury… just crushing losses.
This story is about serious issues but was laced with many really funny moments, which I really enjoyed.
I just loved Demon’s character! This is a long book.. but I could have just kept reading about Demon and his life.
I listed to about half of this book on audio and the narrator was fantastic!
My first Kingsolver.. I’ll be checking out her other books!
Demon was born to a drug abusive, single teenaged mother.. in the single wide trailer they lived in, in the mountains of southern Appalachia.
The trailer was owned by the Peggot’s a large family who lived next door and played a big part in his survival most times.
A story of how the opioid drugs moved into this region and destroyed the lives of family members and friends, actually the whole community ..
Demon’s journey through foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success and then addiction following an injury… just crushing losses.
This story is about serious issues but was laced with many really funny moments, which I really enjoyed.
I just loved Demon’s character! This is a long book.. but I could have just kept reading about Demon and his life.
I listed to about half of this book on audio and the narrator was fantastic!
My first Kingsolver.. I’ll be checking out her other books!
November 1, 2023
“Likewise the Charles Dickens one, seriously old guy, dead and foreigner, but Jesus Christ did he get the picture on kids and orphans getting screwed over and nobody giving a rat’s ass. You’d think that he was from around here.”
A modern retelling of Charles Dickens's David Copperfield bildungsroman set in the Appalachian Mountains, where you are plunged into a harsh and unforgiving world of institutional poverty, addiction, and social injustice. Through the eyes of Damon Fields, nicknamed "Demon Copperhead," Kingsolver exposes the dark underbelly of modern American society with a raw and visceral prose, with a bleak and apocalyptic vision of the world that is both terrifying and all too familiar.
“Once a time I was something, and then I turned, like sour milk. The dead junkie’s kid. A rotten piece of American pie that everybody wishes could just be, you know. Removed.”
Kingsolver's sprawling narrative weaves together a complex tapestry of characters and storylines that reflect the harsh realities of contemporary life. Her storyline is unflinching, painting a picture of a society that has lost its way and is struggling to find its moral compass; a long tradition of suffering that divides and isolates. Kingsolver's socio-political message is complemented by the splendid prose and southern undertones which contribute to the realistic representation of the simple, ordinary life of the mind of a teenage boy and his upbringing in the harsh Appalachian environment.
This is a heartfelt exploration of the search for meaning in a chaotic word. The fate of Demon, a throwdown of shame, a cesspool of self-pity, will intersect with that of many others, echoing the stories of all those haunted by the ghosts of a repressive past.
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”
In the end, as you embark on this journey with Demon through loss of innocence, alienation, isolation, cynicism, but also of fortitude and perseverance, you are reminded of the timeless truths that lie at the heart of all great stories.
“…a good story doesn’t copy life, it pushes back on it.”
Brillant!
4.75/5
A modern retelling of Charles Dickens's David Copperfield bildungsroman set in the Appalachian Mountains, where you are plunged into a harsh and unforgiving world of institutional poverty, addiction, and social injustice. Through the eyes of Damon Fields, nicknamed "Demon Copperhead," Kingsolver exposes the dark underbelly of modern American society with a raw and visceral prose, with a bleak and apocalyptic vision of the world that is both terrifying and all too familiar.
“Once a time I was something, and then I turned, like sour milk. The dead junkie’s kid. A rotten piece of American pie that everybody wishes could just be, you know. Removed.”
Kingsolver's sprawling narrative weaves together a complex tapestry of characters and storylines that reflect the harsh realities of contemporary life. Her storyline is unflinching, painting a picture of a society that has lost its way and is struggling to find its moral compass; a long tradition of suffering that divides and isolates. Kingsolver's socio-political message is complemented by the splendid prose and southern undertones which contribute to the realistic representation of the simple, ordinary life of the mind of a teenage boy and his upbringing in the harsh Appalachian environment.
This is a heartfelt exploration of the search for meaning in a chaotic word. The fate of Demon, a throwdown of shame, a cesspool of self-pity, will intersect with that of many others, echoing the stories of all those haunted by the ghosts of a repressive past.
“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”
In the end, as you embark on this journey with Demon through loss of innocence, alienation, isolation, cynicism, but also of fortitude and perseverance, you are reminded of the timeless truths that lie at the heart of all great stories.
“…a good story doesn’t copy life, it pushes back on it.”
Brillant!
4.75/5
February 26, 2023
5+ stars!
2023 Favourites List!
Demon Copperhead is a ten-year-old boy living in a single wide trailer with his young mother in the back Holler of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia. This is Demon’s story. He tells his story starting from the day he was born to a teenage mother too young to know anything about parenting and too focused on getting her next fix of alcohol, drugs and bad men. Demon chronicles his life of poverty, foster care, crime, filth, abuse and loneliness. There are bright spots throughout the way, but nothing that could shine clear through the constant neglect and heartbreak this young boy faces.
As dark and disturbing as this story is, it was a phenomenal reading experience for me. Truly - it was an exceptional and outstanding novel that surpassed any expectation I had. For me, the most stand out aspect was the narrative. Demon’s voice is one I’ll never forget. The author created a fascinating, impactful, endearing and heartbreaking character in Demon, giving him a voice that sent his story right to my heart. Demon’s narrative is raw and gritty. It’s filled with slang and backwoods grammar. It’s authentic and real and had me enraptured. There were many sentences of tender raw honesty from Demon that went straight to my heart.
You’ll be able to quickly decide if this book is for you based on how you feel about Demon’s narrative. If you don’t connect with his voice and backwoods drawl within the first few pages, this won’t be for you.
There is so much that happens within these pages. It is a dark, gritty, heartbreaking read. The endless cycle of poverty and abuse is depressing but a reality many children face. I appreciate getting this harrowing glance into this life as it makes me even more thankful for what I have and encourages me to help others as much as possible.
Overall, this was a remarkable book that I highly recommend! I hope you connect with Demon’s story as much as I did.
2023 Favourites List!
Demon Copperhead is a ten-year-old boy living in a single wide trailer with his young mother in the back Holler of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia. This is Demon’s story. He tells his story starting from the day he was born to a teenage mother too young to know anything about parenting and too focused on getting her next fix of alcohol, drugs and bad men. Demon chronicles his life of poverty, foster care, crime, filth, abuse and loneliness. There are bright spots throughout the way, but nothing that could shine clear through the constant neglect and heartbreak this young boy faces.
As dark and disturbing as this story is, it was a phenomenal reading experience for me. Truly - it was an exceptional and outstanding novel that surpassed any expectation I had. For me, the most stand out aspect was the narrative. Demon’s voice is one I’ll never forget. The author created a fascinating, impactful, endearing and heartbreaking character in Demon, giving him a voice that sent his story right to my heart. Demon’s narrative is raw and gritty. It’s filled with slang and backwoods grammar. It’s authentic and real and had me enraptured. There were many sentences of tender raw honesty from Demon that went straight to my heart.
You’ll be able to quickly decide if this book is for you based on how you feel about Demon’s narrative. If you don’t connect with his voice and backwoods drawl within the first few pages, this won’t be for you.
There is so much that happens within these pages. It is a dark, gritty, heartbreaking read. The endless cycle of poverty and abuse is depressing but a reality many children face. I appreciate getting this harrowing glance into this life as it makes me even more thankful for what I have and encourages me to help others as much as possible.
Overall, this was a remarkable book that I highly recommend! I hope you connect with Demon’s story as much as I did.
November 5, 2022
"First, I got myself born. A decent crowd was on hand to watch, and they've always given me that much: the worst of the job was up to me, my mother being let's just say out of it."
I knew from that first sentence I would love this book. I knew by page 50 that it would be five stars, by page 75 my favorite book of the year. Having finished, I'm moving it up to one of my lifetime favorite books. It really is that good, that moving, that perfect. That's a lot from an author that had disappointed me with her last few books. Kingsolver never got past her wonderful Poisonwood Bible success with me, and after a couple of later books, I just gave up on her. I wanted to try this because of the David Copperfield connection. I last read that in high school,many long years ago, but give Dickens credit, I still remembered the plot and the characters, and of course, their names. Kingsolver takes David/Demon and plops him down in present day Appalachia, and never misses a beat. Having said that, even if you never even heard of David Copperfield, this is a great novel on its own.
I'll let the GR blurb give you the basics. Just get this book in your hands and read it. I will even go so far as to say it will probably win everything, certainly the National Book Award, most likely the Pulitzer. It will certainly win your heart. I got mine from the library, but will buy a copy when it comes out in paperback. Don't let the fact that it's 540+ pages deter you, it needs every word to get this story told.
Now I need to reread David Copperfield, just for the icing on the cake.
I knew from that first sentence I would love this book. I knew by page 50 that it would be five stars, by page 75 my favorite book of the year. Having finished, I'm moving it up to one of my lifetime favorite books. It really is that good, that moving, that perfect. That's a lot from an author that had disappointed me with her last few books. Kingsolver never got past her wonderful Poisonwood Bible success with me, and after a couple of later books, I just gave up on her. I wanted to try this because of the David Copperfield connection. I last read that in high school,many long years ago, but give Dickens credit, I still remembered the plot and the characters, and of course, their names. Kingsolver takes David/Demon and plops him down in present day Appalachia, and never misses a beat. Having said that, even if you never even heard of David Copperfield, this is a great novel on its own.
I'll let the GR blurb give you the basics. Just get this book in your hands and read it. I will even go so far as to say it will probably win everything, certainly the National Book Award, most likely the Pulitzer. It will certainly win your heart. I got mine from the library, but will buy a copy when it comes out in paperback. Don't let the fact that it's 540+ pages deter you, it needs every word to get this story told.
Now I need to reread David Copperfield, just for the icing on the cake.
January 9, 2024
It’s not often you look forward to Demons, but in this case, I was. All the sterling reviews on Goodreads! The fortuitous link to my favorite Dickens novel (David Copperfield)! The promise of one of my favorite genres, coming-of-age!
Alas, it was not to be. At least not for me.
It fell into that category of book that for some reason bothers me. The plot’s the thing, and we all love a good story. As for Kingsolver, she’s certainly capable of telling it. Trouble is, she told way more than I like. Not many “stop and zoom in” scenes. More "this happened, then that happened." And time rolls on as the narrative years slip by.
Guess I’d rather read a book that covers all of a day or a weekend only. That’s me. These year-jumpers tend to leave characterization in the dust. That is, the characters have no soul, and when they have no soul, I have trouble investing (making the book bankrupt as a Silicon Valley Bank, if you’ll forgive the current event metaphor).
In fairness, you can dismiss this review because I DNF, but I did make it to page 380 or so, and that’s more than halfway, by God, but I struggled to return to it each time I put it down. Instead, I looked at other books on my TBR shelf and they mocked me for pledging my allegiance in such a rote way. Soon I caved to the Sirens of “Life’s Too Short.”
I don't feel that bad. Demon seems to be doing just fine and meeting unusual success and winning over all the girls and facing all the modern troubles (like opioids) David C. didn’t have to and I wish him well. But he really lacked depth. And the surrounding characters didn't sweep me off my feet, either, meaning I was always aware of my surroundings while reading (never a good thing -- consider the movie theater when the same thing happens while viewing!).
So cue the music by the men in Wayfarer sunglasses (“I’m a Soul Man”) and forgive me not joining the Kingsolver parade. I’ll leave the 5-stars and hosannas to others with their marching band reviews.
Instead, I’ll be one of the outsiders giving this a two. Leaving it has hard, but I’m glad I did now that the doing’s done.
Alas, it was not to be. At least not for me.
It fell into that category of book that for some reason bothers me. The plot’s the thing, and we all love a good story. As for Kingsolver, she’s certainly capable of telling it. Trouble is, she told way more than I like. Not many “stop and zoom in” scenes. More "this happened, then that happened." And time rolls on as the narrative years slip by.
Guess I’d rather read a book that covers all of a day or a weekend only. That’s me. These year-jumpers tend to leave characterization in the dust. That is, the characters have no soul, and when they have no soul, I have trouble investing (making the book bankrupt as a Silicon Valley Bank, if you’ll forgive the current event metaphor).
In fairness, you can dismiss this review because I DNF, but I did make it to page 380 or so, and that’s more than halfway, by God, but I struggled to return to it each time I put it down. Instead, I looked at other books on my TBR shelf and they mocked me for pledging my allegiance in such a rote way. Soon I caved to the Sirens of “Life’s Too Short.”
I don't feel that bad. Demon seems to be doing just fine and meeting unusual success and winning over all the girls and facing all the modern troubles (like opioids) David C. didn’t have to and I wish him well. But he really lacked depth. And the surrounding characters didn't sweep me off my feet, either, meaning I was always aware of my surroundings while reading (never a good thing -- consider the movie theater when the same thing happens while viewing!).
So cue the music by the men in Wayfarer sunglasses (“I’m a Soul Man”) and forgive me not joining the Kingsolver parade. I’ll leave the 5-stars and hosannas to others with their marching band reviews.
Instead, I’ll be one of the outsiders giving this a two. Leaving it has hard, but I’m glad I did now that the doing’s done.
April 10, 2022
While this is a re-telling of David Copperfield you certainly don’t have to be familiar with Dickens’ novel to be moved by Kingsolver’s version. Taking place in Southern Appalachia rather than Victorian England the same set of horrifying tragedies still exist with the addition of the opioid crisis that particularly plagues the south. As you might imagine this is not a cheerful read but it provides a scathing look at a forgotten population told by a perceptive and canny red-haired kid who has had more than his share of poverty, starvation, crummy foster homes and losses. He is a hero worth rooting for. A must read.
August 12, 2023
In a Nutshell: A contemporary retelling of the Dickens’ epic, ‘David Copperfield’. True to the original in flow, but the rest left me with mostly negative feelings. Outlier opinion coming up.
Story Synopsis:
I remember the dilemma I had faced while reviewing Lan Samantha Chang’s The Family Chao, which was a modern-day retelling of Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. While her adaptation had been faithful to the original, the classic itself was not suitable to a modernisation by virtue of its themes and its philosophy. This made her novel seem highly stereotypical and even offensive.
I face a similar conundrum this time, though Charles Dickens’ classic ‘David Copperfield’ is much more flexible towards an updated retelling because of its universal themes.
If you have read the original epic, you will notice how faithfully and brilliantly Barbara Kingsolver has transported the characters to the Appalachian mountains. All the characters get a similar deal as in the original, albeit through a different approach thanks to the change in era and setting.
The characters have been given somewhat similar names as their older counterparts. Murdstone becomes Muller Stone, Steerforth becomes Sterling ford, Dora turns into Dori, Tommy Traddles is now Tommy Waddell… This kind of writing choice makes it very easy for us to remember whom each new character is based upon. (That said, I was not at all happy to see my favourite Agnes being changed to ‘Angus’.)
David Copperfield was the titular character’s coming-of-age story; Demon Copperhead is also a bindungsroman for its eponymous lead. Both characters are equally gutsy and equally judgemental. Both want to succeed despite the lemons life keeps throwing at them, and contrary to expectations, they do end up carving a niche for themselves in this haphazard world.
The plot is also faithful to the original. No one’s destiny changes paths just because of the modernisation. This is both good and bad. Good because I really respect authors who retain the spirit of the original in their retellings. (There’s no point calling a work a retelling if you retain nothing of the base work except the character names, right?) Bad because you already know what’s going to happen to every single one of them!
In other words, as a retelling, this book rates pretty high because it sticks to the format and still gives it enough of a twist to make it stand on its own as an independent work.
Where the book failed for me is in its tawdry portrayal of the mountain people. Don’t get me wrong. Kingsolver is a master at settings, and this book is no exception. The mountains of Lee County come alive through her beautiful descriptions. But it was somewhat disappointing to see every possible stereotype about the locals make its way into this book. This is somewhat ironic because Demon tells us multiple times how he feels upset about the stereotypes outsiders have about his people, and then he goes on to live a life reiterating every single cliché through his own deeds, which sounds even worse when heard in first person. Drugs, alcohol, sex, cuss words, poverty, physical violence, domestic violence, social backwardness, racial discrimination ,… you name it and it is there in this book. I am not going to remark on how much of this might be based on reality as I have no first-hand experience of that culture and hence have no right to judge. But from the way it was portrayed, I got hardly any good vibes about the community, and that it is a sure sign that only hackneyed ideas were being thrown at us.
Dickens’ work was also somewhat “misery porn” in style and slightly offensive against those not “physically perfect.” But as David Copperfield was written in the late 1840s, it gets away with this outdated style of writing. Demon Copperhead cannot use the era as an excuse. As it is a retelling, I am also taken aback by the amount of vulgarity in the story. This might not bother most readers, but to me, inserting crude content into a favourite classic story was akin to blasphemy.
How would you feel about this book without knowing the original? Well, you might like it better as you won’t keep comparing the two works and will read this one on its own merit. So if you are okay with the ribald content and the vapid portrayal of the hillbilly people, this story *might* work better for you. Then again, the book is needlessly lengthy, because it skips nothing from the original plot. The start is appealing, but the middle is quite repetitive. The story stays stuck in this looped narrative until almost the very end, by which time I had lost all my patience with it.
To me, the book feels like an epic writing achievement in some ways, transporting 1800s upper class London to a modern hillbilly setting. But in most other ways, it feels so unbelievably flat and so offensive to the original as well as to the contemporary dwellers of the location that I cannot endorse it wholeheartedly.
2.5 stars, rounding down because I expected far more from Ms. Kingsolver.
Do note that this is very much an outlier review. So please read other reviews and take a call on this joint-winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Story Synopsis:
Think ‘David Copperfield’ in a modern-day hillbilly setting.
Damon Fields was born to a teenage druggie mom in a trailer home. Because of the colour of his hair and his attitude towards life and people, he is nicknamed ‘Demon Copperhead.’ As Demon grows up in Lee County in the Virginian Appalachian region, he fights against his destiny and tries to make something of himself, though the odds keep going against him.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Demon.
I remember the dilemma I had faced while reviewing Lan Samantha Chang’s The Family Chao, which was a modern-day retelling of Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. While her adaptation had been faithful to the original, the classic itself was not suitable to a modernisation by virtue of its themes and its philosophy. This made her novel seem highly stereotypical and even offensive.
I face a similar conundrum this time, though Charles Dickens’ classic ‘David Copperfield’ is much more flexible towards an updated retelling because of its universal themes.
If you have read the original epic, you will notice how faithfully and brilliantly Barbara Kingsolver has transported the characters to the Appalachian mountains. All the characters get a similar deal as in the original, albeit through a different approach thanks to the change in era and setting.
The characters have been given somewhat similar names as their older counterparts. Murdstone becomes Muller Stone, Steerforth becomes Sterling ford, Dora turns into Dori, Tommy Traddles is now Tommy Waddell… This kind of writing choice makes it very easy for us to remember whom each new character is based upon. (That said, I was not at all happy to see my favourite Agnes being changed to ‘Angus’.)
David Copperfield was the titular character’s coming-of-age story; Demon Copperhead is also a bindungsroman for its eponymous lead. Both characters are equally gutsy and equally judgemental. Both want to succeed despite the lemons life keeps throwing at them, and contrary to expectations, they do end up carving a niche for themselves in this haphazard world.
The plot is also faithful to the original. No one’s destiny changes paths just because of the modernisation. This is both good and bad. Good because I really respect authors who retain the spirit of the original in their retellings. (There’s no point calling a work a retelling if you retain nothing of the base work except the character names, right?) Bad because you already know what’s going to happen to every single one of them!
In other words, as a retelling, this book rates pretty high because it sticks to the format and still gives it enough of a twist to make it stand on its own as an independent work.
Where the book failed for me is in its tawdry portrayal of the mountain people. Don’t get me wrong. Kingsolver is a master at settings, and this book is no exception. The mountains of Lee County come alive through her beautiful descriptions. But it was somewhat disappointing to see every possible stereotype about the locals make its way into this book. This is somewhat ironic because Demon tells us multiple times how he feels upset about the stereotypes outsiders have about his people, and then he goes on to live a life reiterating every single cliché through his own deeds, which sounds even worse when heard in first person. Drugs, alcohol, sex, cuss words, poverty, physical violence, domestic violence, social backwardness, racial discrimination ,… you name it and it is there in this book. I am not going to remark on how much of this might be based on reality as I have no first-hand experience of that culture and hence have no right to judge. But from the way it was portrayed, I got hardly any good vibes about the community, and that it is a sure sign that only hackneyed ideas were being thrown at us.
Dickens’ work was also somewhat “misery porn” in style and slightly offensive against those not “physically perfect.” But as David Copperfield was written in the late 1840s, it gets away with this outdated style of writing. Demon Copperhead cannot use the era as an excuse. As it is a retelling, I am also taken aback by the amount of vulgarity in the story. This might not bother most readers, but to me, inserting crude content into a favourite classic story was akin to blasphemy.
How would you feel about this book without knowing the original? Well, you might like it better as you won’t keep comparing the two works and will read this one on its own merit. So if you are okay with the ribald content and the vapid portrayal of the hillbilly people, this story *might* work better for you. Then again, the book is needlessly lengthy, because it skips nothing from the original plot. The start is appealing, but the middle is quite repetitive. The story stays stuck in this looped narrative until almost the very end, by which time I had lost all my patience with it.
To me, the book feels like an epic writing achievement in some ways, transporting 1800s upper class London to a modern hillbilly setting. But in most other ways, it feels so unbelievably flat and so offensive to the original as well as to the contemporary dwellers of the location that I cannot endorse it wholeheartedly.
2.5 stars, rounding down because I expected far more from Ms. Kingsolver.
Do note that this is very much an outlier review. So please read other reviews and take a call on this joint-winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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