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A review by andrewspink
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
This was a great book. It was not easy to read, not because of its length (but it is long) nor because of the dialect (I needed to look some things up), but because of the searing descriptions of poverty and drug addiction that it depicts. What was very good, and very well done, is that the author makes sure not only to document the situation, but carefully explain the historical and economic reasons why that has come about in the Appalachian Mountains.
The book had a particular resonance for me because I lived a couple of years in rural Illinois. Although the situation was not as dire as the situation described in this book, the level of poverty in such a rich country was something that was quite shocking to me.
What gave the book a whole other, and quite amazing, dimension, was that it was very closely modelled on Dickens' David Copperfield. It has been decades since I read David Copperfield, so halfway through, I decided to read it. That was a bit ambitious, it is twice as long as the long Demon Copperhead, over a thousand pages, so the whole thing took longer than I expected. But it was worth it, not only was David Copperfield a great (re)read, but it really helped understand Demon Copperhead. Not only that, Demon Copperhead helped me look at Dickens in a fresh light, so that was an added an unexpected bonus.
Another bonus, there was a whole paragraph about moss (a particular interest of mine). "I felt the kindliness of the moss, which is all over everywhere once you get out of the made world. God's flooring. All the kinds, pillowy, pin-cushion, shag carpet". (It then goes on about lichens as if they are also moss, but still, a moss paragraph).
This book really deserved the prize it won.
The book had a particular resonance for me because I lived a couple of years in rural Illinois. Although the situation was not as dire as the situation described in this book, the level of poverty in such a rich country was something that was quite shocking to me.
What gave the book a whole other, and quite amazing, dimension, was that it was very closely modelled on Dickens' David Copperfield. It has been decades since I read David Copperfield, so halfway through, I decided to read it. That was a bit ambitious, it is twice as long as the long Demon Copperhead, over a thousand pages, so the whole thing took longer than I expected. But it was worth it, not only was David Copperfield a great (re)read, but it really helped understand Demon Copperhead. Not only that, Demon Copperhead helped me look at Dickens in a fresh light, so that was an added an unexpected bonus.
Another bonus, there was a whole paragraph about moss (a particular interest of mine). "I felt the kindliness of the moss, which is all over everywhere once you get out of the made world. God's flooring. All the kinds, pillowy, pin-cushion, shag carpet". (It then goes on about lichens as if they are also moss, but still, a moss paragraph).
This book really deserved the prize it won.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse