Damon Fields aka Demon Copperhead is the son of a drug addict. His father died before he was born.

This is the story of his early childhood, growing up in the mountain towns of Virginia, where the townspeople are poor to begin with and long-held biases about childrearing and social programs hinder even the best-intentioned. The bigger message encompasses the oxycontin abuse and misuse crisis, both by the patients and by the doctors who prescribed them.

The author acknowledges Charles Dickens and his novel "David Copperfield." This novel certainly echoes some of the same problems. Then, as now, ignorance and uncaring scar many a child.

Delving deeply into the life of a boy who had zero chances of making something of his life. It's a big, wide story. It's also good for understanding how systemic corruption and abuse color all lives.

The writing style. From the first sentence "First, I got myself born," phrasing is everything.

Here's another good example: "Mr Peggot was outside idling his truck, headed for evening service, probably thinking about how much of his life he'd spent waiting on women. His wife would have told him the Jesusing could hold on a minute, first she needed to go see if the little pregnant gal had got herself liquored up again. Mrs Peggot being a lady that doesn't beat around the bushes and if need be, will tell Christ Jesus to sit tight and keep his pretty hair on. She came back out yelling for him to call 911 because a poor child is in the bathroom trying to punch himself out of a bag."

Honestly, I want to quote whole passages to underline just how much I enjoyed the author's writing style. You'll have to read it for yourself!

I got a little disinterested about halfway through because it was more of the same. It did pick up again somewhat.

I also feel the ending was a little anticlamactic.

Start it again so I could soak in all the wonderful phrasing/style the author did such a great job of.

Sad. Disappointed in people who could so callously use and abuse and think that's an okay way to raise a kid.

Barbara Kingsolver is an accomplished author. She's written a really important novel in "Demon Copperhead."

I'd say if you are sensitive to abuse and cruelty, this book might be a trigger.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Demon Copperhead: A Novel   from Amazon.Com!

Created Mar 13, 2025 at 9:19pm • Submit your own review...