Book Review | Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Charles Dickens is one of my favorite classic authors. I can completely understand why he wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. His stories are long and meandering. They're often very similar to one another so they can seem to blur together if you've read several of his works. But when it comes to character work and social commentary in industrial, Victorian England, he was a master. I also love his wordy writing style, but that's just me. When I heard that Barbara Kingsolver's acclaimed 2022 novel, Demon Copperhead, is based on Dickens' influential work, David Copperfield, I immediately knew I had to read it and suspected it could be a new favorite.

Demon Copperhead is a retelling of the classic novel set against the backdrop of Appalachia in the 90's and early 2000's. Demon is born into a world of poverty and addiction, and the novel follows his coming-of-age and his struggles as he works to fight against the difficulties life throws at him. It's brutal and honest. But it's such a good story that highlights a part of the world that is often overlooked, brushed under the rug.

I have personally not picked up David Copperfield yet, so I can't compare Demon Copperhead to its source material directly. But being familiar with the Dickensian style of story telling, I could pick out characters traits and references that felt so familiar even through the filter of Kingsolver's writing. I had to look up a plot summary of David Copperfield after reading because I was curious about where the parallels lay in the plot. I was surprised to find that the overall plot was nearly identical.

Maybe its because I didn't know anything about the source material going into the retelling, but it really felt like Barbara Kingsolver took the plot and characters and made them her own. It didn't feel forced at all, like she was trying to conform the story into something that didn't feel natural in a modern setting. It all flowed so well, and for that alone I was so impressed!

I was also surprised by how incredible the narrative voice is. It's written in first person from Demon's point of view, and the writing is just impeccable. Kingsolver truly captures the unique voice of an adolescent boy. At least from my perspective it felt very realistic. It had a very similar vibe to The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, and I could tell that the author was inspired by that classic work as much as David Copperfield. It's funny, insightful, relatable, and heartbreaking. There were so many passages that left me breathless, having to reread portions to bask in how good the writing is.

It is hard to review this book on plot structure or characters since they don't fully belong to this story alone. I will say it was difficult for me to fully love any character besides Demon. Everyone in the book is going through their own struggles, and since we're just seeing them all through Demon's eyes, the other characters do sometimes feel distant. But overall, this is Demon's story, so it didn't bother me too much. There were a couple character resolutions I wished had been developed more at the end, or at least had a bit more closure, but whether that's to be blamed on Dickens or Kingsolver's adaptation I'm not sure.

I finished this book with a feeling of awe more than anything. In awe over how much work and heart went into crafting this story. It's a triumph. I don't know if this is a book I'll ever return to, or one I will consider a favorite-of-all-time, but it's certainly a book that I'm glad I read. It gave me a lot to think about. About the struggles of addiction and the resiliency of the human spirit. I loved and was inspired by Demon, and I was sad to have to leave him. But I was satisfied with where the book ended, giving a glimpse of hope in the midst of a dark story.

With time, I have no doubt that this book will join the ranks of David Copperfield as a classic in its own right.

Rating: ★★★★★