Reviews

Devil Is Fine by John Vercher

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riosvanessa22's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.5

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬

𝓓𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓵 𝓲𝓼 𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓮 is about a biracial author who has recently lost his son and has received a letter informing him that his son had inherited a piece of land. However, since his son’s passing, the inheritance goes to him. He’s discovered the land was a plantation, something that doesn’t settle right with him. He’s determined to sell the land and go on with his life. But life itself has something else planned for him.

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 💭

To say I’m flabbergasted by such an incredible story! The emotions I felt within each page, it felt dark, humorous, haunting, and sorrowful. The author done an astonishing job constructing all the emotions one can feel. If you like paranormal/ horror & literary fiction then this book is for you. I’d also definitely recommend reading this book at the beach, trust me you won’t regret it!

Content Warnings

undermeyou's review

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5.0

This book is my favorite kind of tense. It felt a little unresolved as it ended, but I think that is in the nature of the larger discussion. Anticolonialism and racism is a conversation that we are a long ways away from resolving. I love any title that makes marginalization into a horror story without a slasher type arc and this book does it well. I suppose people will disagree that this is horror, but it had southern gothic type of haunting (despite being set in the northeast), and the audiobook gave me skin crawls as the narrator reckoned with a past he did not have a choice in. Thank you NetGalley & Celadon.

rowanhill's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Features:

A biracial main character coming to terms with his grief, identity, and a complicated family history/legacy
Explores themes of loss, grief, addiction, identity, fatherhood, and disenfranchised groups finding their voice
Set in a US northeastern coastal town
Heavy and reflective with moments that push the edges of reality

One can be haunted by many things in many ways, and this narrator experiences almost every way possible. This story starts with an emotional drive to his son’s funeral and never really lets up from there. However, the narrative style gives it a calm, reflective feel despite some of the more intense moments. I am not the biggest fan of the main character, but I think a lot of the complicated feelings I have about him are intentional.Through this character, Vercher masterfully manages to capture your attention and empathy while still leaving room for thoughtful criticism. This story pushes the edges of reality though it never completely crosses into the realm of paranormal or fantasy. Both this and the heaviness of the story mean that this book isn’t really for everyone. However, if you are looking for a read that is equally beautiful and tragic with just a sprinkle of paranormal oddity mixed in, I would highly recommend this book!

Pro: Grief you can feel

After the death of his son, the unnamed narrator of this story receives a notice informing him of a plot of land that had been left to his son by the narrator’s grandfather. While the narrator tries to piece together what to do with the land and the dark family history it reveals, he is also under threat of losing his job due to his failure to publish. The story bounces back and forth between the present and past memories and is written as a one-way conversation the narrator is having with his deceased son. The style gives this a very somber, reflective feel even as dramatic things continue to happen to the narrator in the present.

Due to the style of writing, the reader gets to see the narrator at his most vulnerable throughout. Though I expected the narrator to try and make excuses or present a skewed picture of things, it is quickly clear that the narrator’s goal is to be honest and critical, especially with himself. In this way, we live through his grief not only emotionally, but physically as well. We experience his panic attacks, night terrors, sleep paralysis, and other physical manifestations of his inner turmoil in a visceral way. This book is definitely one of the best representations of immense grief and how all-consuming it can become.

The Breakdown: A hard man to like

The narrator of this story is easy to empathize with, but hard to actually like. Despite being vulnerable and introspective when describing things to his son (and the reader), his external actions and dialogue are very different. Though some of what he says and does are understandable for someone grieving, the vast majority reveal him to be a somewhat self-centered and callous individual. Though he reflects on these moments, it is clear for some of them that there is still some disconnect. For others, even when he realizes the harm done, he doesn’t seem to learn and attempt to adjust his behavior. We do eventually see some growth in the present, but it feels almost arbitrary after all of the harm that has already been done.

Though I ended up not really liking the narrator for most of the book, I was still really invested in his story. There were a lot of things I could empathize with and I found some of his reflections and introspection to be extremely powerful. Healing and change are a process, and I think a tragic character like this really highlights that point. Despite all of his flaws, the narrator is still someone that I wanted to succeed in finding his place.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Content Warnings

gkaltam's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lifewithtomcat's review

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

For me, this was a rewarding blend of literary fiction and Black gothic. It is an introspective, conversational meditation on family, love, and loss which becomes immeshed in a mind bending ancestral haunting. Oh, and there’s the whole jellyfish thing…

Loved the ride, though occasionally I found myself yelling at the professor to pull himself together and make better choices, lol.

I enjoyed this novel via audiobook and the narration was outstanding.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley.

saminfineprint's review

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

libraryofamisfit's review against another edition

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what i've read so far of the book is great. i'm just hitting a slump and i'm struggling to read books that are heavy on the emotions. i was very lucky to receive an arc from celadon books, but unfortunately i can't finish it at this time. i'm hoping i can pick it up again later this year, once it's published this summer.

the_edgarallanhoe's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

pomoevareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Having just finished reading Devil is Fine by John Vercher my feelings are complicated. I had expectations about what this book was about and it began solidly on that path until it didn’t and veered into magical realism. I found myself wondering what I had gotten myself into but then was also so drawn to the writing quality. I began to feel the paralysis and pain the narrator feels. Guilt for not having had conversations with his son before he died, finding himself talking to the ‘ghost’ of his son, and sharing his feelings of grief and guilt with others, all felt relatable to me.

The story, in which an unnamed biracial narrator is grieving the recent loss of his seventeen year old son and who then inherits a plantation from his white mother’s side of the family, is told in a style that is very meta. A book within a book and a man within his ancestors.

The metaphors and imagery were strong and vivid. My focus became more centred as the story continued with a fluid feeling.

Overall, while I was expecting a story of identity and connection to colonialism, I wasn’t expecting it to be told in such a way but it all landed well and with success.

Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Devil is Fine publishes June 18, 2024.

Content Warnings

avy9891's review

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5.0

This was such a beautifully written story you can really feel the desperation and pain of loosing a loved one in such a tragic way. Then the main character learns that they have inherited land connected to such a terrible time in history. Which then brings to light his struggle with his identity and trying to feel like he’s enough.

I can’t get over the strong emotions I felt while reading some parts of the story. As a reader you can really feel the turmoil going on in the character’s mind. I recommend that everyone read this book. Especially if you have struggled with your identity and feeling like you don’t belong in your community.

Thank you to Celadon for the opportunity to read such a wonderful book!

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