Demon Copperhead

I loved the voice of this narrator. I was stunned by the skill Kingsolver has in creating a vivid, believable, unique character. Despite Demon continuously getting kicked in the head – actually and figuratively – I rooted for him and believed him capable of rising above his circumstances.

How she is able to seamlessly capture social injustice, environmental issues, and political nonsense without ever hitting the reader over the head is nothing short of genius.

This book combines the work of two of my favorite authors. Barbara Kingsolver weaves a powerful tale of a young boy raised in poverty by a single mother in Appalachia amid the opioid epidemic.

The story structure, characters, and Demon’s resilience in the face of multiple challenges mimic the Charles Dickens classic David Copperfield, one of my all-time favorite books.

I chose not to put this 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner first on my list simply because everyone else already has.

I have loved Kingsolver’s writing from her very first non-fiction essays. So, what can I add? Except to say that this is a book for the ages:  the enthralling journey of a southern Appalachian orphan. A tale of fortitude and redemption, the modern David Copperfield.

I’ve read it three times, finding more depth each time. Kingsolver balances pain, pathos, humor, insight, and resilience—all the facets of humanity—in the compelling character of Damon.

I loved this book because Demon, the main character, touched me. As soon as I finished, I listened to it again, just to keep him and his perspective in my life.

Demon made me feel poverty on a visceral level that will prevent me from blaming anyone who has found themselves caught in it. His child’s voice was innocent, believable, humorous, and poignant at the same time. He taught me about patience and compassion toward people who are hurting you.

Never have I better understood the quicksand of poverty, how hard it is to get out of, the vicious cycle… show more.

I love Charles Dickens, so I could not resist this rewriting of my favorite of his novels. At first, however, I found it so bleak that I put it down. When a friend suggested that I should keep going, I decided to pick it back up as an audiobook.  

I ended up becoming extremely attached to the various characters in the book, especially Demon. And I saw connections between Kingsolver’s novel and the original David Copperfield, which were made in a way that I thought was brilliant. 

I lived in West Virginia for four years, so I appreciated the fact… show more.

I loved the character Damon (nicknamed Demon) whose captivating coming-of-age story launched me on a roller coaster of emotion.

From the first sentence of the first page, I couldn’t put it down. His voice is poignant and unforgettable, and I silently cheered every achievement and mourned every setback as if they were my own as he struggles to escape addiction and the life he was born into.

While his story is the focal point of the novel, I learned much along the way about Appalachia, a neglected region of the country, and the depths of the opioid crisis which hits… show more.

I loved this book because I saw in it how good kids without parents get lost in the sometimes cruel world and how these kids choose to do the wrong thing out of necessity, the need for love.

Like my own life, I saw how relatives and neighbors stand by and watch, unable or unwilling to help these tossed young souls who suffer and struggle to find their way. I could relate to Demon being willing to do almost anything to be loved, and how even when help is given, it can be retracted at any time. Knowing this is… show more.

Right from the first page of this book, I was hooked, and though this isn’t a small book, I finished it in a few days.

I needed to know if Demon would be ok in the end (despite having recently re-read David Copperfield, on which the story is based), but more than this, Kingsolver’s writing is a joy to spend time in, utterly immersive and alive, with great pacing and depth. She’s made us a cast of complex characters who do wonderful and terrible things, and are always deeply human.

And the clincher that this really is a great book?… show more.

I hadn’t encountered any good stories about the current opioid epidemic before reading this book. A contemporary re-write of Dicken’s David Copperfield, this book faces it all: being an orphan, being pushed around in the care system, struggling in school, sliding into addiction.

I love how Kingsolver’s powerful fictional account makes a little bit more concrete what so many people in America and beyond are going through right now. This story is devastating, and there is no happy ending, but that is also the case for many of the real people currently struggling with addiction. 

I admit that I’m currently averse to reading anything too ‘heavy.’ The news of senseless violence, tragedy, and loss of life seems endless. Our country appears polarized beyond recognition and my year, for personal reasons, hasn’t been easy. I tend to tune out and shut off when overwhelmed. However, if anyone was going to open my eyes to America’s opioid epidemic, then I’m glad it was Barbara Kingsolver. 

Her characters are so real, so evolved, that you can’t help but route for, or despise them. I haven’t felt so connected to and empathic towards my fellow Americans in a long… show more.