Demon Copperhead

I wanted a totally different perspective of Appalachia, and this book delivers on that completely. I love the heartwarming and sometimes tragic stories of pioneering people who settled in these mountains in the 1800s. But this tale shoved me right into modern-day Appalachia, with its poverty, drug abuse, and violence.

This book definitely made me think about life’s choices; how would I have handled such obstacles as the characters faced? What options did they really have, and did they truly make the best choices? Whether I agreed, disagreed, yelled at these characters, or cried with them, it was a very… show more.

While this book is fiction, it is impossible to avoid knowing that there are multitudes of children like young Damon Fields across rural America. Born on the edge, you know he is just one false move away from falling into despair. That this fall comes from a series of tiny slips and not a single large blunder makes the plot all the more poignant.

The fault of his demise is not entirely his, however. To reach the bottom, he must be failed by our schools, our healthcare system, and our social safety net too. That this bitterly sorrowful book retells… show more.

I read this book over a year ago, but Kingsolver’s ability to write Demon’s voice and character so distinctively and thoroughly sticks with me perfectly. I fall in love with a book when an author allows me to understand a character deeply, especially through unique dialogue, and Kingsolver did this tremendously well with Demon.

Sometimes, when a novel is more of an epic tale, I can lose a little interest, but not so with this book. Kingsolver portrays the supporting characters and the heartachingly pervasive backdrop of the opioid crisis so well that rather than losing interest, I kept saying,… show more.

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.

Despite it being a dark tale, I loved this book by Barbara Kingsolver because I learned again how poverty and addiction can be connected.

By describing so vividly how normal people like me can get addicted to opioids, I felt compassion and sorrow for the characters. It was a hard read, but it taught me what I should have known: not to judge people on external appearances because you never know what loss or hurt they come from.

I saw how easily the “good” kid became a bad one, how hunger, destitution, and pain, through no fault of your own,… show more.

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.