Demon Copperhead Review: Why It’s a Must Read

Indeed, what follows is an epic character-driven story “for the ages” that only Kingsolver could tell. Why? Because she’s inexplicably tied to Appalachia, and because the authors I’ve read who have best succeeded at invoking empathy in the reader are the ones who themselves are most intimately tied to their stories and characters.

Kingsolver’s personal ties to the area and its people also allow her to transcend stereotypes and, rather, powerfully convey how she (and they feel). She is outrageously angry. She is fiercely loyal. And it all comes through in the character of Demon Copperhead, a boy representative of a people forgotten, discarded, and betrayed.

Speaking of characters, Demon Copperhead is one of the most memorable I’ve read. I’m convinced that, if the name “Barbara Kingsolver” wasn’t written on the cover most readers would think it’s a memoir.

(By the way, make sure you take a close look at the cover — it’s a tapestry of illustrations bearing greater meaning in weaving Demon’s story.)

In conveying the unique personality of a character in literature, voice is so important, and Demon’s is exceptionally distinct. He’s had a rough start and a rough everything that comes after that, and it’s through his cynical, yet endearing and “wise beyond his years” voice that Kingsolver balances the realities of his situations with a sense of hope for Demon.

As far as themes go, the theme of art being created by Demon from the depths of darkness is one that always feels meaningful to me. And the theme of water simply cannot be ignored as a force that kills several in Demon’s life, yet offers him a chance to overpower it and be reborn into a better life by it.

While Demon Copperhead was, without a doubt, a five-star read for me, it was admittedly also a slow character-driven read for me. It took me about three weeks to read, and I heard other readers describe the experience the same way.

Make no mistake, it was not by any means a “slog” or even a slow burn — it’s just the type of novel I needed to read slowly, in small doses, and savor and reflect on it. I say this so that, if you feel stuck or behind, you are inspired to keep going at your own pace.

At the end of that day, this is one book that will stick with you long afterward.

Demon Copperhead is a transcendent novel of many really important things, including social justice, redemption, and finding one’s self. It’s the kind of book that reminds me I can’t just pick up “fiction writing” as a hobby, or even a career goal, and expect it to have any significance in the world. And, it’s one of the rare books that truly earns the description: “tour de force.”