Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE

Demon Copperhead is a book about institutional poverty and is a modern retelling of Dickens’ David Copperfield. Set in the Appalachias it tells the story of a young boy caught up in the system, for whom life is a mountain to climb but who never loses his sense of humour and adventure.

● Damon Fields (known as Demon) grows up in a trailer with his drug addicted mother and ends up in the foster care system where he is neglected, used for child labour and always hungry. He is surrounded by an enthralling cast of people with great nicknames, like Maggot, Fast-Forward, U-Haul, Hammer and Baggy Eyes. It sounds like a grim premise and yes it does cover off tragedies like poverty, addiction and loneliness, but it does so with wit, dry humour and a page turning plot.

Demon is tuned into life and the consequences of human nature, and via the author makes many astute observations. It’s these poignant commentaries on life and poverty and survival that really highlight that Kingsolver is a master of her craft.

I found the first half of the book absolutely riveting, the language, the pace, the relevance and the characterisation is astounding, and Demon’s life experiences are varied and fascinating. There was a time in the second half that I thought became a bit repetitive but this is a minor gripe, and perhaps simply an indication of how uncomfortable the truth can be.

I read Demon Copperhead before the shortlist was announced and I have thought about it a lot since. It’s a book that highlights generational issues both in America and in our current times, and will no doubt be a sign-of-the-times classic just like David Copperfield is. – Rachel

I put my face to the window so nobody would see if I tore up. Was this me now, for life? Taking up space where people wished I wasn’t? Once upon a time I was something, and then I turned, like sour milk. The dead junkie’s kid. A rotten little piece of American pie that everybody wishes could just be, you know. Removed.

● I had such a deep concern for Demon I was almost obsessed with the outcome of his life’s story.

The setting of Southern Appalachia was written so devastatingly perfectly I felt like I was being guided along as some kind of worried entity observing Demon’s life unfolding and I’m not sure whether I have ever cared so much for a fictional character.

Barbara Kingsolver has so deftly showed us this community’s culture and the battles they are facing. We know of course that Demon is fictional, but I am sure there are lots and lots of other young people in this area with similar stories.

One of my new all-time favourite reads. – Suzy

---

Published 2022
Harper
546 pages