Demon Copperhead

Summary: A troubled childhood recounted. (A retelling of David Copperfield)

One of my habits (sometimes bad and sometimes good) is to avoid reading about fiction books before I read them. Once I know an author, I would rather experience a book without any background. There are times when this is a great strategy. And there are times when I somewhat regret the strategy. In this case, I was utterly unaware that Demon Copperhead was a loose retelling of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. Because I have not read David Copperfield, I don't know what would have been different had I known, but I did not know. I later read the Wikipedia summary of David Copperfield and can see the many parallels, and I think that made sense of a few threads of the story that I was confused about.

I have read most of Barbara Kingsolvers' books at least once. I enjoy her writing and appreciate its incisive social commentary. And because of my history with her work, it was unsurprising that Demon Copperfield was set in southwestern Virginia. Several of her books are set in rural Appalachia, and many of them grapple with the social realities of that area.

I read several reviews afterward, and one reviewer said the social commentary at the end of many chapters was a feature of Dickens' writing, not just Kingsolvers'. Many chapters in Demon Copperhead tell an aspect of the main character's life (his real name is Damon, but everyone calls him Demon from a very young age), but will conclude the chapter with a reflection on one social reality or another. For instance, there is a discussion about the underfunding of Child Services and how even those who want to do good by working there are often so underfunded and overworked that their efforts are largely futile. The adult Demon who is narrating, reflects on how that underfunding reflects on the values of our society.

I listened to this on audiobook from the library but carefully copied out the following quote because the social commentary is clear-eyed, even if a bit cynical. Demon is talking about the ways that we believe a false narrative about people's ability to work their way out of bad situations. So he refers to himself in the third person about why things did not go better for him.

“This kid, if he wanted a shot at the finer things, should have got himself delivered to some rich, or smart, or Christian, non-using kind of mother.”

This was a heartbreak rollercoaster. It's as draining a read as I've ever dared to complete but I'm glad I did. The language is rich and immersive and it's packed with references and turns of phrase that provide an authentic sense of person and place. You really believe these characters exist somewhere, which makes every tragedy more painful to read. It's filled with these little daggers that you're almost certain weren't invented but pulled from someone's lived experience... but despite all that darkness, It's also very funny...? Demon is smart, charismatic and certifiably hilarious and his perspective is what makes it possible to actually finish this novel. There were so
many moments that had me laughing out loud throughout and while I wouldn't call the ending happy, it's lined with a kind of hopefulness that I wasn't sure would still be there by the conclusion. This is a moving and brutal character study that you should emotionally prepare yourself for before picking up.

Don't do drugs!

This book was on the hot section at my library and there was a sticker attached that red “lucky express 7 day rental” and I thought, oh shit i better read this book before I'll never see it again. So I pushed Luminaries to the side (it was 800 pages) and started a journey through Lee County with Demon Copperhead.

My first thought was, wow this guy has a horrible and terrible life. My second thought was, wow fuck society. So put two and two and you will realize that this novel was a heavy hearted depiction of those who were unfortunate. Unfortunate was an understatement, I've read about terrible lives but there always seemed to be some magical way they got out of their circumstances like some sort of magical letter telling them they're a wizard. But this never happened for poor Demon. I kept reading waiting for the good to happen but it just got worse and worse, a brutal depiction of reality.

When it finally got better, by stroke of luck, it wasn't like all of Demon's problems were gone. He was still that kid with that leaky well with water oozing out of him. Everything was going well for this guy, but he was still broken and it showed when bad luck hit again. At first you feel bad for Demon because his life is absolutely horrible. But when things get bad the second time, sure you feel bad for him but not because his life is terrible, but because you can relate to his issues, his struggle, and his own hole draining all the good out of him. You never hate Demon because you can't. He's like your child that you wish to get better, to wake up one morning and decide to change his life around, but change like that isn't realistic and Demon Copperhead the novel is very realistic.

You have this Toblerone format of depicting Demon's life and the ups and downs of it all. And this just makes everything way worse. You yourself feel like Demon. During the bad you can't wait for him to get better, and at the peak of his life you can't help but wonder how its all going to fall down. And it doesn't just randomly get bad, it is ultimately his own choices that causes his own misfortune in the later half of his story. And this hurts more than misfortune you can't control, it hurts because it's pain that he has no one to blame for. But when it finally goes up again it feels so satisfying, like he finally pulled his shit together.

This novel has never made me question how lucky I am to live the life I have.

Likes:
Demon. He is such a well written character. A kid who obviously has his flaws. One that you won't believe is the age he is during the events of his life. One that is mature but just as immature. That one line where the housekeeper tells him his job is to be a kid was just so opening to what this guy had to go through. I really liked his interactions with other characters and the way the author wrote his narration felt real instead of cliche and over the top.

Setting. It helps that this place in a real place in the world. I always find a really good novel to have its setting almost be one of the characters. The novel goes deep into what Lee County is without going too over the top.

Writing. Holy cow Barbara Kingsolver cooks with her writing. I found that random lines hit so hard and there was no moment that I was bored of what was going on. It reads like a teenager's writing the good and the bad yet the descriptions feel so otherworldly and crazy. I really liked the pacing and how there are no life turning moments, instead series of events that change Demon's life which I found to be more realistic.

There are honestly so many more good things to say about this book. It was just so good in almost every way possible. Every character is so fleshed out and has so much to say without saying anything at all. Characters are diverse without having DEIB shoved into your face. The depiction of addiction hurts so badly that it feels like its coming out of the pages. I especially liked how brutal Dori was.... The foster care system was so brutal.

Dislikes:
I'm trying very hard to think of what I dislike but I can't come up without anything of interest. I think the one major thing I had an issue was the lack of an relationship Demon actually had with Dori. I get that its kind of the point but it would've been nice to see something else other than sex being described by Demon. But tbh I feel like there was purpose of having Dori written like that.

Another slight issue I had was how I felt that Demon and Emmy just kind of died off. Like there relationship was sooo interesting and it felt like there was nothing done with it later on.
I also have a slight issue with Demon being with Angus at the end because it felt like Angus was more of a sister/brother to Demon and not a potential love interest. It also doesn't really suit Angus's character imo and I was rooting for Demon and Emmy lol. But despite my bias I really felt that the whole Angus thing at the end was kind of offputting, almost incestuous.

In conclusion. Loved the book!

I absolutely LOVED this book, and I'm sad that I'm done reading it. The way Barbara Kingsolver gave voice to Demon was amazing! I wanted to continue hearing all about his stories, with his language (somewhat vulgar, but honest and realistic for a kid who grew up the way he did), and his way of telling them. I loved whenever vs. when. If you read this, you'll get it. One of his nuances.

Barbara also did a great job of modernizing David Copperfield. Demon came up on my book club's list, and after hearing that it was based on David Copperfield, I gave that one a read first. I'm glad that I did. The result was being able to compare and contrast the two and see how she followed the original storyline but kept it present-day. This method of “twisting” books (my term) might get more people interested in reading the classics.

Kind of a spoiler, but more a trigger warning
A note though, that for people whose families are affected by addiction, and our current drug epidemic: this book might be triggering for you. One of the more modern scenarios that Barbara makes use of is the way drugs have made their way into our lives.

4.5 Holy crap. What a tough read but so well written. It's basically a re-telling of David Copperfield in a modern day setting - Kingsolver goes hard with the parallels between the two. It's one of those you know you're going to have a “book hangover” after reading.

The last third and especially the rushed ending are the things that stop me from giving 5 stars.
Overall, great plot (especially if you read David Copperfield), great writing style, great social commentary. Definitely recommended.

Spoiler and violence alert...

Call me old fashioned but when an author makes the choice to have a female character's hands tied together with a telephone cord and then a gun shoved in her mouth, I'm out.

Oh yeah and the real winner character who shoved said gun in her mouth is also described as having a golden dick, of which this poor woman will no longer have a chance of getting a piece of.

I mean really, just what is the point, Barbara?

How this book could have such high ratings is really disappointing to me.

The brief for this one is always stated as “David Copperfield in opioid Appalachia,” and, uh, it is. Past a certain point I couldn't put it down, the narrative voice is appealing too which goes a long way toward making an otherwise bleak family saga readable. It's hard to describe the actual events in Demon Copperhead without spoiling the narrative, simply because so much of the novel's actual engaging qualities come from the serial qualities retained from the source material. This book could easily be used in an AP English class to teach narrative structure and the impact of style and voice on tone and theme.

Given all the hype, I expected a 5-star read, but I got a great 4-star read. Having recently read David Copperfield in preparation, this book was an interesting reading experience in that I knew what was going to happen, but not how. The story was moving, but I think the messaging would have been more impactful if it were more subtle.

This book, about a poor boy in Appalachia was really one that made you think. It touched on so many subjects - poverty, being “redneck” - the label and the reality, living in the country, living in the city - after living in the country, drug addiction, how opioids start off “helpful”, until they are not, I could go on. But as a person who grew up in a bigger city, surrounded by “country-folk”, and raised in a small town, this book spoke to me. About why so many of my relatives (in the poor, country counties) are addicted - to something, many having a history of incarceration. Just a lot to think about. It's been a couple of hours since I finished it - and it is still on my mind. That is one of the earmarks to a good book, in my opinion. I read this book for bookclub, but I'm glad I did. Looking forward to some good discussion this week :)

Really a 4.5; might upgrade later depending on how it sticks with me. Main thing I have to say is that knowing David Copperfield is both a plus and a minus here. On one hand, I don't think I could have beared reading it if I didn't know it was all going to turn out at least somewhat okay for Demon, on the other hand, the high correlation with Copperfield was a bit distracting.

Most importantly though, it was a really respectful account of the damage that has been done in Appalachia from coal to tobacco to opioids, and at the same time celebrated the natural beauty of the area as well as the extraordinary and compassionate people who live there and are just trying to live from one day to the next.

why did they insist on giving everyone a nickname in this town....???

anyways, loved demon. i just imagined him being the cutest little boy ever and i felt so connected to him from the start. i think this could've been a 5 stars if it was structured differently because it had its moments where really nothing was being added to the story and it got a little boring/repetitive. still though i did really enjoy it.

4.75

Excellent. There were times I had to put the book aside because I couldn't bear what I saw coming. But I was always glad to pick it back up.

It's good but it's also about the opioid epidemic in rural America so pretty depressing at the same time.

Really debated over whether to give this three or four stars. Three because it's so long and so dark and depressing. But four because the mastery of the craft — particularly voice and perspective — is incredible.

Not my typical cup of tea.

5 star

I had a hard time getting in this book, but once I passed the 30% mark, I couldn’t stop anymore. It reminded me a lot about the movies made by the Dardenne brothers about social discrimination but also a lot about Oliver Twist (once I read the acknowledgment the inspiration was clearly stated).

While this book could have been a really bleak transcription of the hurdles of an orphan having to live in the « redneck » states, it provides with glimpses of hope throughout the whole story and you get really invested in Damon’s life.

It taught me a lot also about the so-called redneck lives, how they came to be and the injustices they had to face for decades (as well as opioids trials).

This books succeeds at depicting a really hard upbringing while not making it a tearjerker, through a really resilient main character. Truly a great read!

Oof, this book. As you can tell from my 5-star rating up there this is a good oof, not a bad one. What I mean is that this book is heavy. I picked this up on a whim from the library, because the app had it featured, and I didn't even read the synopsis. So, due to the way my brain works, I thought I was headed straight into a Fantasy novel. This, is not that. Demon Copperhead is a story about poverty. It's a story about growing up in a system that sets you up to feel almost immediately upon being born. Still, it's also a story about hope, and about fighting for your dreams despite everything the spiteful world throws at you. This wasn't the Fantasy novel I was expecting, but damn if it wasn't absolutely enthralling.

The story opens on a young Demon (Damon) Copperhead, leading us into his story. On the cusp of becoming a teenager, Demon is still young enough to feel a bit of magic when looking at the world around him. Where other people see southern Appalachia, and specifically his hometown, as a place to be avoided, he sees it as a lucky place to grow up. Sure, his mother is an addict. She's doing better though. Sure, he doesn't have a lot of money. He eats okay though. With an entire forest at his front and back door, his best friend next door, and the freedom to do whatever he wants, what more can a young boy ask for? I wish I could have sat with this Demon forever.

Still, we all know that life deals a tough hand sometimes. Soon events unfold that force Demon into a new world that he absolutely isn't prepared for at such a young age. His mother finds a new boyfriend, who turns out to be awful (an understatement). He has to watch her struggle with losing her own autonomy which, for a boy whose mother is his entire world, is difficult to say the least. Then the unthinkable happens and she's gone altogether. Our young MC is left alone in a world that wants to break him, with his sole caretaker being a man who resents his very existence.

What follows is a story that follows Demon along his many trials. He meets all sorts of people, some so good for him and most a terrible influence. In the most formative years of his life, he is shuttled from place to place and relying on the very bare minimum of kindness from others to get by. I'm not even going to lie to you, this book made me sob. Kingsolver pulls no punches when talking about Demon's life in the foster system, and the fact that he and his friends were struggling so hard while being so young really just broke me. Those good people, those shining lights in the darkness, kept both Demon and I going. But watching him be continuously beaten down by a world that didn't care at all about him was tough as hell.

I can't go any further into the story without spoiling some very important things. This is a journey that you have to be willing to go on, despite the potential for a lot of bleaker moments. I'd love to say that Demon gets through it all unscathed, but that's a fairy tale isn't it? Nothing we encounter in life truly leaves us unchanged. We can learn to overcome it, sure. But it's always a part of us. What I can say is that this book is a heartbreakingly beautiful look at the power it takes to keep moving forward despite everything. I loved how well this showed the reasons why people go back to the places they called home, even when those places didn't treat them as well as they should. By the time I finished this book, I felt more connected to Demon than I have to any character in a long time.

So if you're in the headspace for a book that is pretty heavy, and will likely make you cry, but also make you ponder so many thing? Demon Copperhead is a book you should add to your list. Kudos to Barbara Kingsolver. All the awards this book won were very, very well deserved.

I'm probably in the minority here, rating this book 2 stars. I really liked the first 100 or so pages. I was rooting for Demon and was sure this depressing, angry story would end up being full of hope, but geez, one lousy thing after another kept happening., and I'm a fan of dark, depressing stories (that are full of redemtion, forgiveness, and hope). This one just took too long to get any of that! I only have 4 chapters to go but I already skimmed the previous 200 and I just can't continue to torture myself. I'm skipping to the last page.

Loved this book. So much hit so close to home (both figuratively and geographically) and it felt authentic in a way that I didn’t quite expect. I don’t know why, but I had not categorized Kingsolver as an “Appalachian” writer previously, despite knowing of her bonafides in terms of being from Kentucky, but this book is clearly written with a love and intimate knowledge for the region and its people. There’s more going on here, too. The social justice angle. The David Copperfield retelling. The language itself. All of it just got me thinking in all of the best ways, even if those ways are also painful.

For anyone who also loved this book who finds themselves interested in learning more about Appalachia or reading more Appalachian literature, Kingsolver put together a really nice reading list for The New York Times.

Demon Copperhead is a modern retelling of David Copperfield, set in the Appalachian region of West Virginia. We follow Demon from birth to young adult as he navigates the harsh reality of growing up as an orphan in rural Lee County ravaged by Oxy and other drugs. It's an emotional journey filled with turns of luck and misfortune for Demon and his friends. 

I was captivated by the incredible characters and depth. Kingsolver avoids relying on stereotypes or tropes. Instead, she dives into the characters' backgrounds, motivations, and emotions, showing us why each character acts that way. There's a strong critique of class, the artificial divides in society, and the foster care system. We see this exemplified throughout the book and its impact becomes especially poignant when set against the backdrop of the opioid crisis.

As it happens with longer and slow paced books, the plot drags in the middle. There were parts where I powered through as I was hoping for more drama. I definitely enjoyed the ending, but some of the shifts in relationships were too subtle and easily missed. I knew Demon cared for Angus because she always believed in him, but the change to romantic parter left me wondering when did he start seeing her that way?  

Fantastic book, definitely give this a read! 

It's an objective 5 stars, but a subjective 4 stars for me.

Biographies or memoirs are not my jam, and this read like a memoir. Which is actually a testament to Kingsolver's excellent writing and talent, but just made it less of my cup of tea than the synopsis made it seem. And it felt a bit too long.

If you love literary fiction and memoirs, this book might be ideal for you.

I've started this book and stopped three times before I finally was able to read it from beginning to end. Bleak. That's the only word for this novel. Unremittingly bleak. A boy is born to a poor, single mother living in a trailer in one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Appalachia. His mother takes up with a cruel man and dies a sad death...

And that's just the beginning of bleak events that happen to our main character, Demon. I could hardly bear to keep turning the pages and face the addictions and miseries and early deaths that Demon and the other characters in this story face.

The charm of it, I think, is the hope that keeps Demon going, hope that arises from the occasional folks in his life that surprise him with their goodness and their generosity.

There are some killer lines in this book. Here are few of them:

“Certain pitiful souls around here see whiteness as their last asset that hasn't been totaled or repossessed.”

He said, “You know, sometimes you hear about these miracles, where a car gets completely mangled in a wreck. But then the driver walks out of it alive? I'm saying you are that driver.”

“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”

‘I said probably they were just scared he was going to put ideas in our heads. She smiled. “Imagine that. A teacher, putting ideas in kids' heads.”'

As I said to my friend when I was reading a book: “A sad book where the main character refuses to be sad”.

I love Demon's fighting spirits and his sweet sweet soul. Here's to all the kids out there, and those who once were.