I’m late to the party on this novel. Because I judge books by their covers and sometimes shy away endorsements, like "Demon is a voice for the ages—akin to Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield—only even more resilient.” —Beth Macy, author of ‘Dopesick’ , I’d assumed this was high-brow and so wouldn’t interest me. Why certain covers or phrases like “voice for the ages” or a tag lines like a “contemporary David Copperfield” make me shut off to a book isn’t really rationale since I enjoyed both Huck Finn and Holden Caulfied as characters, but my biases in reading are my own problem and not all that interesting. I also think I read Poisonwood Bible when I was way too young to appreciate it and so have shied away from Kingsolver and put her books in the category of Cold Mountain and The English Patient

where I’ve filed most books by Colum McCann and Jonathan Franzen (fairly or unfairly) - overly difficult to read and boring in a way that makes me not want to invest the brain power to figure out their intelligence.

I WAS WRONG. And being wrong about books is the enjoyable kind of wrong.

Thankfully, I came across a NYT story about Kingsolver funding a recovery house for women in southern Appalachia with the royalties from ‘Demon Copperhead’ and realized I’d been wrong. This grim tale about the opioid addiction’s toll in rural American told through the perspective of a boy born to a single mother is not only hilarious and mournful and enraging (a difficult trifecta), it is deep in an entertaining way. Now, some of the content would make me shy away because as a Mainer, I’m sensitive to characters and setting vulnerable to stereotype and rife for overdone cliche because it’s rare to read a book set in Maine that doesn’t miss the mark somehow. Obviously, a boy growing up in a trailer in Appalachia, falls into this category. Anyone can write about anything and debating who has the right to tell whose story is worthy in academic and progressive circles is another topic without much nuance or interest anymore. Outliers like ‘American Dirt’ are easy to spot and are always going to exist. But the commitment to acknowledge that a place gave you a novel and professional success and to follow-through a tangible project like a recovery home is pretty bad ass.

I’m listening to the audio version of this book while I walk, drive around for work, and cook, and for me the narration adds to the humor, but I’m from the north and have basis to critique the legitimacy of the accent or authenticity of the vernacular. I’m dreading finishing the book and keep checking the progress line as I get in the car to make sure it’s not ending which is also a good sign.

Without giving much away, Demon (a nickname) has found a safe and interesting foster home, a friend, and an identity as a tight end on his football team, but the tension is building and I’m pretty sure Kingsolver is going to break our hearts. I’ll update this post when I finish it but as of now if you liked ‘Dopesick’ on Hulu, or Patrick Radden Keefe’s ‘Empire of Pain’ or ‘Appalachian Reckoning’, a response to Hillbilly Elegy, or ‘The Forgotten Girls’ by Monica Potts then these characters will probably appeal to you.

I also listened to this take by Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom about the embarrassing moment of gender we’re watching and have been watching in politics and culture while sitting in my dark car in a parking lot during my son’s driving lesson.