Yesterday, Friday, I went all day without reading a book. Apologies to my Facebook friends because I went a little post crazy yesterday - I had to read something!
It just was not going to be a book. Why, you ask?
Book Hangover.
Ever had that happen? It does happen for me, but rarely anymore. I just did not want this book to end, I teared up when I finished not because of anything particular that happened at the end but because of everything that happened during the whole story. I was so sorry to be finished. I immediately called it my favorite book of the year, even though it is currently only January.
So, I needed a little time, a break, to let it stay with me and still be My Most Recent Book. It will be hard to choose my next read, but that is another story. (Pun intended.)
Demon Copperhead. Let's get the obvious out of the way - yes, Kingsolver retells David Copperfield here, modernizes the setting to 1980's Appalachia, and gives everyone a name that can be traced back to Dickens. And those names! Everyone has a nickname here, and they are perfection. I am still trying to figure out Swap-Out. Hopefully Kingsolver's prologue letter is included in all editions (mine is a Barnes and Nobel "exclusive edition"), because the story of how she came to the idea of even writing this novel is fascinating.
The other obvious thing is that yes, this could be viewed as a depressing story. Hello, Dickens. Demon is a white trailer trash son of a teenage addict with mysterious paternal roots. The only jobs to be had in his town are in the mine. There is no getting up the ladder if you can even get up outta bed. Drugs are rampant and play a huge part of life in these times and in this place, which has been supported by locals, Kingsolver included, who say her portrayal of life in the backwoods really does look like Demon's life. Truth becomes fiction in the worst way.
However, for me, this book was not nearly as depressing as The Four Winds or The Last Ballad (need a tear-jerker? There ya go.). Demon himself has such a dry outlook and hilarious turns of phrase that I laughed out loud a few times to the point where my husband even looked at me like I was crazy. The things that happened to Demon seemed like they really could happen to a guy, even if it had a Murphy's Law feel to the whole thing. It still rang true. And Persistent? Persistent should be Demon's middle name. He bounces from situation to situation, from sadness to depression, from feeling unwanted to feeling invisible and can't decide which is worse. ("Was this me now, for life? Taking up space where people wished I wasn't?" Crack went my heart.) But, he keeps on. He grabs hope where he can find it, and continues to open his heart. He does get angry at Life, but it is a slow burn for him, which the author says is intentional - she knows the reader needs to connect with and love Demon before they can "earn," in Kingsolver's word, that anger with him.
The drug epidemic in the United States, and particularly in this part of Virginia/West Virginia/Tennessee is probably the saddest part of this story. And, unfortunately, the most real. Kingsolver does not shy away from the devastation of an entire generation (or two) that has been and still continues to be brought on by oxy, heroin, fentanyl. All kinds of drugs are mentioned and I even learned a few phrases along the way that I hope NEVER to hear about in my own life. But this lifestyle was normalized so much for these characters that to fight it seemed impossible. Depressing? Yes. But real.
One thing to notice here besides Kingsolver's deep research and knowledge of these and other themes she weaves into her story: the presence of strong women. Demon struggles to find a male role model, but several women are the ones to go to bat for him, fight for him, and try to give him direction. Sometimes he pays attention, sometimes he flips them off. Deep down they know Demon is worth saving; it is just a matter of convincing him of the same.
I loved the vernacular. I loved how art and small town southern football and tobacco cutting and the wide definition of family are a part of the story. I questioned if the foster care system and DSS could really be that bad, and if literally everyone in town could be an addict of one thing or another (apparently, the answer is yes). My heart broke at how many bad things happened to Demon (let me tell you right now that sexual abuse of children does NOT happen here, so do not be afraid of that, and I am sorry if you think that is a spoiler, I consider it more of a green light - plenty of other bad things happen to Demon but not that!), and how many people he watched disappear out of his life for one reason or another. I shook my head at how many times he was taken advantage of, and I cheered when he made a good decision. I loved the story about the Christmas "tree of utter ridiculousness" and how that gives him a taste of normalcy. I loved Angus. I loved how many chapters ended with a BAM, literally at the last word of a sentence. I loved the foreshadowing and the unexpected return of characters and how the sense of place and home fit into everything. I loved the tone, the insight, how she parallels her story to David Copperfield but how the story stands on its own. This is not plagiarism; this is brilliance. I can't wait to see if I really do find another Favorite Book of the Year; I took seven pages of notes on this one so my book club better watch out. We will be going through all seven pages of quotes, thoughts, ha-ha's, and sad faces.
THIS is a great read.
EDITED TO ADD: It is now Sunday of that same weekend and I have picked out but not yet picked up my next read. Still noodling on DC.
I want to recommend, for those who have read the book, a podcast I just listened to today. It is called The Book Case, and is hosted by Charles Gibson and his daughter Kate Gibson. (AKA Charlie Gibson from Good Morning America!) They interview Barbara Kingsolver in their December 8, 2022 episode and it was wonderful listening to the author herself talk about the genesis, process, and subject matter of Demon Copperhead.
Two of her comments stand out in relation to the issue of drug use in Appalachia (I am paraphrasing here):
Drugs are the solution to all the other problems they face. Drugs are the escape they seek.
And:
For the kids and young adults, survival (of the drug epidemic, the lack of educational resources, the lack of opportunity, etc) IS resistance. Wow.
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