Demon Copperhead: A Novel

WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE • WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

Recognized in The New York Times as one of the "Ten Best Books of 2022" and selected for Oprah’s Book Club, this instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, along with being a #1 Washington Post bestseller, introduces a voice that stands the test of time, comparable to iconic characters like Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield, with even greater resilience, according to Beth Macy, author of Dopesick.

Dubbed by Ron Charles of The Washington Post as potentially the finest novel of 2022, this work by the acclaimed author of The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, transports readers to the mountains of southern Appalachia. Demon Copperhead unfolds the tale of a boy born into challenging circumstances—a single-wide trailer, a teenage single mother, and only his deceased father's good looks, copper-colored hair, sharp wit, and a remarkable survival instinct to his name.

Narrated in Demon's unfiltered voice, the novel delves into his journey through the contemporary challenges of foster care, child labor, subpar schools, athletic achievements, addiction, tumultuous love affairs, and profound losses. Throughout this odyssey, Demon grapples with his own invisibility in a culture that, much like superheroes, seems to have forsaken rural communities for urban centers.

In a parallel to Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, written generations ago from the author's experience with institutional poverty's impact on children, Barbara Kingsolver draws inspiration from Dickens' anger, compassion, and unwavering belief in the transformative power of storytelling. Demon Copperhead emerges as a poignant voice for a new generation of lost boys and those born into enchanting yet cursed places they cannot fathom leaving behind.