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A review by lory_enterenchanted
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
This take-off on David Copperfield goes off in quite a different direction, I feel -- much darker and bleaker than Dickens, in the latter part of the story. David wrestled with the poor choices of his youth, but rose above them, while Demon is nearly done in.
It's interesting to see how mores have changed in 150 years, as the sexual morality that obsessed the Victorians is now a non-issue; drugs taking its place as the vector of evil. The class distinctions that are central to Dickens also lack a parallel in Demon's life; the whole population of Lee County seems to be considered a kind of class apart from the rest of America, and the book is a protest and an expose of the lot they have been unfairly handed down.
The relationship to the earlier novel, which I reread in preparation, is not always advantageous to Kingsolver. At first, it was clever and brought out interesting resonances, but later began to feel somewhat forced. I could imagine it being better to take the central characters and overall arc of Copperfield, and create entirely new secondary characters and plot strands, rather than contriving equivalents that are so far-fetched. However, it's too late for that edit.
The mood in general is much more cynical and bitter. Characters or relationships that brought some ethical light and soul warmth in Copperfield turn sour in Copperhead. The Micawbers, for example, who while impossible, untrustworthy spendthrifts did bring some affection into young David's life, turn into the McCobbs, who are portrayed much more negatively, as purely selfish opportunists. The Betsey Trotwood character, here a grandmother, sends Demon away because she doesn't want him around her house, and comes much less into the action. She never develops the love that transformed her in Copperfield, nor does she lose her fortune and become dependent on him -- a step in David's growth that in Demon is replaced by a descent into addiction, which would never permit him to take on such a responsibility. Even Mrs. Peggot (Peggoty) turns a cold shoulder to Demon when he's in need. Perhaps Kingsolver was trying to avoid Victorian sentimentality, but this also meant a loss of a certain amount of humanity in those characters. Sadly, that may accurately reflect the world we live in.
I also noticed, by contrast, how skilled Dickens was at giving us the sense of many different characters' voices, even within a first-person narrative. By the end of Copperhead, I was growing tired of the monotonous voice of Demon, who reported many events without even including direct speech, often giving them an almost throwaway quality. Compare this with memorable moments in Dickens like Rosa Dartle's outburst, or the letters and speeches of Mr. Micawber. Mrs Gummidge's "lone lorn creetur..." Barkis is willin' ... it's all flattened out into Demon's vernacular, which has its own stylistic character but not much variety.
What does come across powerfully is the story of a young man, representative of so many ruined lives, who is nearly destroyed by the forces of exploitation, greed, and cruelty that have invaded his community. Life still struggles to endure, though, and love can still purify and heal. The ending is precariously hopeful, but the bleak reality that has been presented is an education and a wake-up call for all of us who need to recognize our complicity in this story. Every human child is our child, and everyone must work to restore justice and mercy to our human family, in whatever way may be open to us. On that, I think that Dickens and Kingsolver would agree.
This take-off on David Copperfield goes off in quite a different direction, I feel -- much darker and bleaker than Dickens, in the latter part of the story. David wrestled with the poor choices of his youth, but rose above them, while Demon is nearly done in.
It's interesting to see how mores have changed in 150 years, as the sexual morality that obsessed the Victorians is now a non-issue; drugs taking its place as the vector of evil. The class distinctions that are central to Dickens also lack a parallel in Demon's life; the whole population of Lee County seems to be considered a kind of class apart from the rest of America, and the book is a protest and an expose of the lot they have been unfairly handed down.
The relationship to the earlier novel, which I reread in preparation, is not always advantageous to Kingsolver. At first, it was clever and brought out interesting resonances, but later began to feel somewhat forced. I could imagine it being better to take the central characters and overall arc of Copperfield, and create entirely new secondary characters and plot strands, rather than contriving equivalents that are so far-fetched. However, it's too late for that edit.
The mood in general is much more cynical and bitter. Characters or relationships that brought some ethical light and soul warmth in Copperfield turn sour in Copperhead. The Micawbers, for example, who while impossible, untrustworthy spendthrifts did bring some affection into young David's life, turn into the McCobbs, who are portrayed much more negatively, as purely selfish opportunists. The Betsey Trotwood character, here a grandmother, sends Demon away because she doesn't want him around her house, and comes much less into the action. She never develops the love that transformed her in Copperfield, nor does she lose her fortune and become dependent on him -- a step in David's growth that in Demon is replaced by a descent into addiction, which would never permit him to take on such a responsibility. Even Mrs. Peggot (Peggoty) turns a cold shoulder to Demon when he's in need. Perhaps Kingsolver was trying to avoid Victorian sentimentality, but this also meant a loss of a certain amount of humanity in those characters. Sadly, that may accurately reflect the world we live in.
I also noticed, by contrast, how skilled Dickens was at giving us the sense of many different characters' voices, even within a first-person narrative. By the end of Copperhead, I was growing tired of the monotonous voice of Demon, who reported many events without even including direct speech, often giving them an almost throwaway quality. Compare this with memorable moments in Dickens like Rosa Dartle's outburst, or the letters and speeches of Mr. Micawber. Mrs Gummidge's "lone lorn creetur..." Barkis is willin' ... it's all flattened out into Demon's vernacular, which has its own stylistic character but not much variety.
What does come across powerfully is the story of a young man, representative of so many ruined lives, who is nearly destroyed by the forces of exploitation, greed, and cruelty that have invaded his community. Life still struggles to endure, though, and love can still purify and heal. The ending is precariously hopeful, but the bleak reality that has been presented is an education and a wake-up call for all of us who need to recognize our complicity in this story. Every human child is our child, and everyone must work to restore justice and mercy to our human family, in whatever way may be open to us. On that, I think that Dickens and Kingsolver would agree.