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A review by samantita
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is one of those books where it's hard to believe that anyone other than the character telling this story, actually wrote this book. It's so impressive that this 60-something year old woman was able to embody the voice of a young boy so well. Kingsolver said the idea came to her to let the character tell the story and I'm so glad she ran with that idea. I don't have experience with addiction but I've read reviews from people who were addicts and they said she absolutely nailed it.
The image of Little Brother Dick flying the kite from his wheelchair and the way Demon viewed him as a giant is so powerful.
I felt so sad for Damon, thinking about how young he was going through all these things, hitchhiking across the state to find his grandmother, losing his mother to drugs and having a shitty stepfather.
The back of the book has a review that says that Kingsolver has a knack for making the reader empathize with lives that may bear little resemblance to our own and I couldn't agree more. The writing was incredibly powerful in its simplicity.
"The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between." Damon's tale of resilience, loss, grief was made profound by such captivating prose.
It always amazes me when an author can figure out how to end a book in a way that summarizes the entire story so wonderfully. "Headed for the one big thing I know is not going to swallow me alive" is just that. I'm also so glad that Demon did have people in his life like Aunt June, Angus, Coach, the Peggots, Tommy, and the Armstrongs (all not without their flaws) that had an impact on who he became in a positive way.
The image of Little Brother Dick flying the kite from his wheelchair and the way Demon viewed him as a giant is so powerful.
I felt so sad for Damon, thinking about how young he was going through all these things, hitchhiking across the state to find his grandmother, losing his mother to drugs and having a shitty stepfather.
The back of the book has a review that says that Kingsolver has a knack for making the reader empathize with lives that may bear little resemblance to our own and I couldn't agree more. The writing was incredibly powerful in its simplicity.
"The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between." Damon's tale of resilience, loss, grief was made profound by such captivating prose.
It always amazes me when an author can figure out how to end a book in a way that summarizes the entire story so wonderfully. "Headed for the one big thing I know is not going to swallow me alive" is just that. I'm also so glad that Demon did have people in his life like Aunt June, Angus, Coach, the Peggots, Tommy, and the Armstrongs (all not without their flaws) that had an impact on who he became in a positive way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail