Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION

A New York Times "Ten Best Books of 2022 * An Oprah's Book Club Selection * An Instant New York Times Bestseller * An Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller *A #1 Washington Post Bestseller

"Demon is a voice for the ages—akin to Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield—only even more resilient." —Beth Macy, author of Dopesick

"May be the best novel of 2022. . . . Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this is the story of an irrepressible boy nobody wants, but readers will love." (Ron Charles, Washington Post)

From the acclaimed author of The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, a brilliant novel that enthralls, compels, and captures the heart as it evokes a young hero's unforgettable journey to maturity

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.

My Verdict

My son asked me if I thought this novel was deserving of the Pulitzer Prize. Yes, yes, a million times yes. I was gutted by this book. The writing is so beautiful, but it takes the reader to places so dark, depressing and dangerous with its intimate detail, that you wonder why you find such beauty in it.

The voice takes some getting used to, but from the start the title character feels like a reliable narrator, telling it very much like it was. Throughout it all, [Demon] remains a sympathetic character, at least in part because we know he’s telling his own story as a cautionary tale. What kept me turning the pages was the knowledge that Demon has a future.

“You get to a point of not giving a damn over people thinking you’re worthless,” he says. “Mainly by getting there first yourself.”

Anyone who has struggled with addiction can probably relate to that quote. The problem is that it isn't true. Even in the greatest depths of addiction, the addict himself is worthy of sobriety and a better life. Kingsolver uses the fire of Demon's spirit to illuminate — and singe — the darkest recesses of our country.

The inspiration for this novel is the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens -- a novel that dramatized the horrors and trauma of child poverty in the late 20th century. Kingsolver has used her novel to dramatize the horrors and trauma of the foster care system and drug addiction that so many are dealing with today. In many way's demon's character reminded me of Huck Finn. He was straightforward and honest in a way that was reminiscent of Twain's character.

“Where does the road to ruin start?” Demon asks. “That’s the point of getting all this down, I’m told. To get the handle on some choice you made.”

Unfortunately, a lot of Demon's road has been laid for him -- some of it before he was even born. Sadly, that is true for a lot of people in this country. Demon survives -- he is the narrator after all, but so many like Demon do not. That is the gutting part of this novel. Kingsolver did a masterful job of capturing this and conveying it through Demon's story. This was a resounding 5 stars for me.