Tag Archives: Barbara Kingsolver

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Another look at Demon Copperhead

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Today was another day on my course looking at children’s literature. I love the course and the writing we’re being shown.

This morning we were looking at the techniques writers use to reveal their characters. One example, aimed at 9 -12 year-olds, was the opening section from Dread Wood by Jennifer Killick. In a few short pages she describes the gang at the core of the book, introducing them to us through the main character by showing us what he thinks of them. Then she uses the gang’s words and behaviour to tell us more about the main character himself. The descriptions are so skilful and quick that they caught my attention with only a few lines.

After looking at Dread Wood and other examples, we were asked to think about books we’d read ourselves. How did they introduce us to their protagonists?

My book, my only recent read, was Demon Copperhead by Barabara Kingsolver. Not a children’s book, but with a growing child at its core. I opened the book up again and started to look. The voice came at me loud and original – self-deprecating, real, urgent. It’s the voice of the ‘I’ of the story, Demon Copperhead. He’s the “little blue prizefighter” who took me from the minutes before his first breath, right to the end of the book. Branded by his birth as the “Eagle Scout of trailer trash”, and orphaned not many years later, life in his struggling community was never going to be easy. Could have all been miserable, made me walk away, but there was that voice that carried me towards the risk, the race over potholes to the end.

How did Barbara Kingsolver do it? I’m not sure exactly, but she made it look easy. All I have discovered is that it’s not.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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I’ve finished! Longest book I’ve read for a while (546 pages) … and I didn’t abandon it.

I read the novel a chapter at a time, and occasionally not even that. The reason was the lack of minutes in my day, but each time I picked the book up, I was surprised to find myself engrossed again.

The reason I think is the voice. Demon Copperfield’s voice. It is fascinating, trapped like a stone in a barrel rolling down a hill, the barrel being the Appalachian community that Demon finds himself born into. Both his personal circumstances and the community are potholed with hardship, and his own path through them as dysfunctional as any.

Orphaned as a young child Demon is reliant on the damaged hands of others – foster carers, relatives, guardians. He bounces from one difficult situation to the next, always hopeful that things will get better. But they don’t seem too.

In his late teens his body shows real sporting potential, but when that too suffers breakdown the cracks in his life split wide open. Vulnerable and willing they are soon stuffed with drugs, some prescription and some not, all available and seemingly everywhere.

“I stopped caring around this point because the little white submarine-shaped pill he’d given me to swallow was starting to sing its pretty song in my head.”

And down Demon goes, taking us with him, and showing us why through this book. Its pace is as fast as a young child growing, its tragedy as restless as Demon as he searches for a way out.

I found the story engrossing, and feel richer for having read it. If you have the time, and like a strong voice, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023

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A thought on Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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I have had the great good fortune of being lent a hardback copy of this novel. It is a big book – some 550 pages in this edition – and I am a little over halfway through, the reason being that I only manage a few pages a day.

Why so slow? Lack of time is the main reason, plus the distractions drawing me otherwards. However, I treasure the few daily pages I have with Demon Copperhead, and have no desire to leave him to his fate unread. His resiliance and his voice draw me behind him, as he navigates his way into and through worlds I know little about.

Today, I sneaked a few extra pages, and opened the book at the end of the chapter where I had left it. As I turned to the start of the next I read these opening lines:

“Where does the road to ruin start? That’s the point of getting all this down, I’m told. To get the handle on some choice you made. Or was made for you. By the bullies that curdled your heart’s milk and honey, or the ones that went before and curdled theirs.”

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver – opening lines of Chapter 41 – (Faber and Faber)

I’m looking forward to finding out the remainder of the story. I fear it may not end well for Demon Copperhead.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2023