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bookreviewswithkb's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thank you SO much to @celadonbooks for sending me an early copy of this one - out on June 18th!
i’m having trouble articulating how i feel about this book; i don’t know if i have the right words to describe it. our main character is a flawed father, who identifies as a biracial Black man, trying to raise his Black son through all of the struggles of his own identity, that make him resent his son and drive a wedge between them. this wedge comes fully to life with the inheritance of a plantation where human remains are uncovered, and our main character starts on a journey to search for his soul
this book is BRILLIANT - it is witty and moving and absolutely heartbreaking. the prose is breathtaking. i don’t know y’all, you just really need to read it
“there are so many means for me to stitch the wound we suffer together, but i have convinced myself that the edges are too old, the skin necrotic, too fragile to knit, no matter how much thread i use.”
i now want to immediately read Vercher’s other fiction novels, Three-Fifths and After the Lights Go Out. i didn’t know i was sleeping on such an incredible author
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Child death
Moderate: Car accident
analenegrace's review
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thanks so much to Celedon Books for an ARC.
This was a really fantastic read that touched on many important topics, including the archeology of enslaved remains and repatriation, as well as the controversy of plantations and their existence in the North, which is often an undiscussed topic.
I read this in two sittings, and it was almost impossible to put down. Vercher keeps you on your toes as you try to understand what the MC is experiencing in the wake of his son's death.
I only wish there had been a bit more at the end, as the time jump was a bit jarring.
Best Line: "My legs were tentacles. My legs were not supposed to be tentacles. They were supposed to be legs."
This was a really fantastic read that touched on many important topics, including the archeology of enslaved remains and repatriation, as well as the controversy of plantations and their existence in the North, which is often an undiscussed topic.
I read this in two sittings, and it was almost impossible to put down. Vercher keeps you on your toes as you try to understand what the MC is experiencing in the wake of his son's death.
I only wish there had been a bit more at the end, as the time jump was a bit jarring.
Best Line: "My legs were tentacles. My legs were not supposed to be tentacles. They were supposed to be legs."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Mental illness, Police brutality, Slavery, Death, Vomit, Medical trauma, Grief, Medical content, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, and Violence
pomoevareads's review against another edition
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
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Grief, Mental illness, and Slavery
Minor: Car accident
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