I've been a fan of Kingsolver since The Bean Trees and High Tide in Tucson--two favorites. Some of her work I've loved, The Poisonwood Bible springs to mind; some I've quite enjoyed, like Flight Behavior, some just haven't been my cup of tea (Prodigal Summer,) and one (The Lacunae) I simply coudn't get into.
But Demon Copperhead blew me away. In my opinion, it's her best ever.
I was slow getting around to it--the subject matter of a poor kid in Appalachia growing up with addiction and foster care and all the ugly and sad side of this blessed/haunted region, didn't call to me.
But as I read many fervent recommendations, I began to reconsider. After all, the novel is based, to some degree, on Dickens' David Copperfield. And as I recall, fifty-some years after reading it, after the protagonist struggles through poverty and all manner of adversity, there is a happy ending. Plus, Dickens was a reformer, writing about social injustices. And thanks to him, many of those injustices were eventually addressed.
Heaven knows there's a lot could use reforming in Appalachia. Maybe I needed to read this book.
Of course, being an old English major, I was keen to pay attention to the similarities in the two books so (rather than re-reading David Copperfield, I printed out a handy synopsis for reference.
(Important note: There is NO need to have any familiarity with Dickens in order to enjoy this novel. It totally stands on its own. I simply enjoyed seeing how Kingsolver co-opted bits of the earlier work.)
Like Dickens, Kingsolver hurls us into her hero's life and keeps up an absorbing, page-turning pace throughout. Demon is very likeable and very self-aware--wise beyond his years, despite, or perhaps because of the grimness of his life. Grim, yes, but there is humor and beauty and philosophy throughout the telling. So many great characters, so many entanglements, such a rattling great story--just like Dickens!
Inadequate social services, greedy pharmaceutical companies, local corruption, child labor, sleazy physicians are all part of the world of Demon Copperhead. Kingsolver manages to share this message through her characters, rather than by preaching. Some of these problems are beginning to be addressed by progressive leaders--though not fast enough and always with pushback from politicians on the right, alas.
It's an important book and, what's more, a most enjoyable read. As I raced through it, I thought of the American readers of Dickens' day, standing on the dock waiting for the next installment of the current novel to arrive. Thank heavens Kingsolver gave us the whole thing at once. I couldn't bear a wait between chapters.
Very highly recommended!
