Scan barcode
A review by niallgoulding1
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I can understand the plaudits. The novel has a strong and unique voice. You will remember Demon for a long time after you finish reading.
Powerful in its message, clever in its debt to Dickens and wise in giving humanity to a segment of society that is ignored/ forgotten except when they are being ridiculed.
Both the people of Appalachia and drug addicts are only ever represented in the media as threats, inconveniences or failures. One of the strengths of this novel is showing the lack of nuance in such judgments. It shows how hard life is and how almost inescapable the cycle of poverty and addiction can be. The appeal of taking drugs to those who have suffered trauma is brilliantly captured and opened my eyes:
"This tether that's meant to attach you to something all your life, be it home or parents or safety, has been flaying around unfastened all this time, tearing at your brain's roots, whipping around so hard it might take out an eye. All at once, that tether goes still on the floor and you're at rest."
It also avoids overly romanticising poverty. There is no sugar-coating the grim ruins left by the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia or any delusions that the people there are better than anywhere else. There are those who have suffered trauma and exist to deal it out to others.
"The moral of his story was how you never know the size of hurt that's in people's hearts, or what they're liable to do about it, given the chance"
My only quibble is that i felt it was strongest in the opening half when Demon was a child. It dragged a little in the middle and could have been trimmed in places where the downward spiral felt repetitive occasionally. But a very satisfying read overall and a somewhat hopeful ending.
Powerful in its message, clever in its debt to Dickens and wise in giving humanity to a segment of society that is ignored/ forgotten except when they are being ridiculed.
Both the people of Appalachia and drug addicts are only ever represented in the media as threats, inconveniences or failures. One of the strengths of this novel is showing the lack of nuance in such judgments. It shows how hard life is and how almost inescapable the cycle of poverty and addiction can be. The appeal of taking drugs to those who have suffered trauma is brilliantly captured and opened my eyes:
"This tether that's meant to attach you to something all your life, be it home or parents or safety, has been flaying around unfastened all this time, tearing at your brain's roots, whipping around so hard it might take out an eye. All at once, that tether goes still on the floor and you're at rest."
It also avoids overly romanticising poverty. There is no sugar-coating the grim ruins left by the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia or any delusions that the people there are better than anywhere else. There are those who have suffered trauma and exist to deal it out to others.
"The moral of his story was how you never know the size of hurt that's in people's hearts, or what they're liable to do about it, given the chance"
My only quibble is that i felt it was strongest in the opening half when Demon was a child. It dragged a little in the middle and could have been trimmed in places where the downward spiral felt repetitive occasionally. But a very satisfying read overall and a somewhat hopeful ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Abandonment
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Sexual assault