Demon Copperhead
~ A Capsule Book Review by Allen Kopp ~

Charles Dickens’ 1850 novel, David Copperfield, is a venerated classic of English literature. It has charmed generations of readers with its story of an unfortunate orphan boy in Victorian England. Charles Dickens, having written many novels, claimed that David Copperfield was his favorite.

Now, for some mysterious reason, novelist Barbara Kingsolver has written an American version of David Copperfield called Demon Copperhead. It is a “re-imagining” of David Copperfield, set in the section of American called Appalachia, in the 1990s.

His real name is Damon Fields, but he goes by the name Demon Copperhead. (Don’t ask why.) His mother is a self-destructive drug addict, very young, naïve and uneducated. His father dies before Demon is born. (Wise choice.)

After being born to a drug-addled mother, Demon’s life definitely takes a downward turn. Demon and his mother live in a trailer. (What else?) They are so poor they have to depend on the kindness of strangers to survive. Not surprisingly, Demon is looked down upon at school by the other kids and is not a good student. He doesn’t practice basic hygiene, so he has a funny smell that people can’t help noticing. His troubles really begin, though, when his mother acquires a tattooed, shaved-headed boyfriend known as Stoner.

When Demon’s mother marries Stoner, it’s more bad news for Demon. Who could be a worse stepfather for an adolescent boy than Stoner? Before you know it, Demon’s mother is pregnant and, before she can give birth, she ODs on “oxy.” So, Demon is left alone with his hated stepfather.

Demon ends up in foster care, which is no better than living in a trailer with Stoner. He finds himself on a “farm” run by a crazy old man, who drives Demon and the other boys like slaves. This old man is paid by the Department of Social Services for taking in orphan boys, so it’s a lucrative arrangement for him, not to mention the free slave labor he gets.

When Demon makes it to high school age (miraculously), he is taken in by a kindly (and drunken) coach who nurtures him as a football player. He shows real ability in the game of football, but he shatters his knee in a game, ending his football career. More hard luck for Demon. He becomes addicted to pain pills and other drugs. Drug use is pervasive in this time and place. After all, Demon was born to a drug abuser. The acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Demon meets a pretty girl named Dori and instantly falls in love with her. Instead of getting married, they live together. They are both drug addicts and soon their lives are consumed with getting and using drugs. Drug use is the overriding theme in about the last third of the novel.

Mr. Dick, Mr. Micawber, Peggotty, Steerforth, Agnes, Uriah Heep, Aunt Betsy Trotwood Mr. Murdstone, and other beloved (or odious) characters from David Copperfield have their counterparts in Demon Copperhead, but, except for similar names, there is little resemblance to the Dickens novel.

Demon Copperhead is a long novel (548 pages). While I was reading it, I thought it would never end. I didn’t hate it, but it is, in my humble opinion, an unnecessary book that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. If you want to read a really good book, read David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. You can’t do much better than that.

Copyright © 2023 by Allen Kopp