“Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose.”

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this 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. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he 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 cities.

Many 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.

This book deserves every award it has received. The hype and the praise are 100% earned and absolutely warranted. It’s one of those rare books that gets under your skin and stays there, and not because it’s trying to, but because the voice at the center is so alive, so flawed and full of heart, that you can’t help but love him.

Yes, this is a modern retelling of David Copperfield, and yes, it follows a similar structure. But you don’t need to have read Dickens’ classic to fall for this story. Barbara Kingsolver has taken the bones of that book and infused them with Appalachian grit, generational trauma, addiction and a painfully honest look at poverty and the foster care system in rural America. What really elevates this book, though, is the unforgettable main character.

Demon Copperhead (real name Damon) tells his story with raw honesty, cutting humor, and a voice that never misses a beat. From the opening page, I knew I was in good hands. He’s scrappy, observant, stubborn, and at times heartbreakingly naive. I loved him. I hurt for him. I wanted to scream on his behalf more than once. His narration is pitch-perfect. The way Kingsolver captures his cadence and thought process feels effortless but is clearly the work of masterful writing. Demon isn’t just a character; he feels like a real person. The kind you’d recognize instantly if you saw him walking down the road.

The supporting characters are just as sharp. From the well-meaning adults who try and fail to help, to the predatory ones who make your skin crawl, to the friends who come and go, each one feels fully fleshed out. No one is wasted here. The community, the system, the cycle of addiction—it’s all painted in unflinching detail, but Kingsolver never strays into misery for misery’s sake. But it’s not a book about misery. There’s also a lot of heart and love here as well.

It’s a long book, and I normally get antsy around the 400-page mark, but not this time. I didn’t want it to end. I would’ve followed Demon through another 500 pages if it meant hearing more of his story. The pacing is tight even when the subject matter slows you down emotionally. Some scenes hit hard, and they should while others had me cackling, mostly because of the way Demon described the situations.

This book is bold, honest, and beautifully written. It’s a story about surviving the foster system. Sometimes the kids come out scarred, sometimes angry and lost, but in this case, still filled with hope. It’s exactly the type of literary fiction I adore. It never gets bogged down in too much exposition. It was (dare I say) perfect.

This was my first Barbara Kingsolver novel, and it won’t be my last. If you like powerful character-driven stories with grit, depth, and a voice that sticks with you long after you close the book, don’t skip this one. Demon will crack you up and break your heart and you’ll root for him the entire time,

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