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A review by lozababe
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Such a sad book, and one that I can’t say I enjoyed like you would other books. I kept reading on hoping that things would get better for Demon and every time you thought they were about to, something else would knock him for six and have him back down to rock bottom all over again.
Demon Copperhead starts with Demon, or Damon as he is actually called, being born. We find out that his mother was a drug addict, but had managed to keep herself off drugs while she was pregnant. He becomes the parent in their two person family, having to remind her to set alarms, where her shoes are to go to work and taking care of her when she overdoses. He has some respite in the family who live next door, the Peggots, who seem to look out for both him and his mother. His best friend is their grandson, Maggot, who they are looking after while his mother is in prison and they become a surrogate family for Demon when he needs to be a child again. Although not an ideal upbringing, Demon’s life is heavenly at that point compared to what has to come in the rest of the book.
The book focuses on the very real problem of poverty, drug abuse and the system letting children down. Demon goes through so much of this, it is a wonder that he made it to adulthood. The whole book is extremely sad and while rooting for Demon throughout the whole thing, I couldn’t see a way out of all of this sorrow for him. It is a very powerful book that makes you think of things in a different way, a bit like Charles Dickens did all of those years ago.
Thank you to Barbara Kingsolver and the online book club The Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this interesting but sorrowful book.
Demon Copperhead starts with Demon, or Damon as he is actually called, being born. We find out that his mother was a drug addict, but had managed to keep herself off drugs while she was pregnant. He becomes the parent in their two person family, having to remind her to set alarms, where her shoes are to go to work and taking care of her when she overdoses. He has some respite in the family who live next door, the Peggots, who seem to look out for both him and his mother. His best friend is their grandson, Maggot, who they are looking after while his mother is in prison and they become a surrogate family for Demon when he needs to be a child again. Although not an ideal upbringing, Demon’s life is heavenly at that point compared to what has to come in the rest of the book.
The book focuses on the very real problem of poverty, drug abuse and the system letting children down. Demon goes through so much of this, it is a wonder that he made it to adulthood. The whole book is extremely sad and while rooting for Demon throughout the whole thing, I couldn’t see a way out of all of this sorrow for him. It is a very powerful book that makes you think of things in a different way, a bit like Charles Dickens did all of those years ago.
Thank you to Barbara Kingsolver and the online book club The Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this interesting but sorrowful book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Slavery, Addiction, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Emotional abuse