Demon Copperhead

With a name like Demon Copperhead what would you expect? I actually chose this book because I had heard good things about it. It was an Oprah pick and had even won a Pulitzer Prize. 

Now I’m not saying this isn’t an excellent book, and that at an earlier time in my life I might have actually finished it. What I will say is this …I think I’ve been on an Appalachian streak, and I’m ready to get off the train. This book was just not for me. 

First I watched Hillbilly Elegy, then I read All the Pretty Things, a memoir by Edie Wadsworth, and now Demon Copperhead. The common theme of all three being Appalachia, poverty, addiction, and horrible childhoods. 

I read 150 pages into it until I said no more. I’m hoping poor little Damon finally gets a break like JD Vance and Edie, but I don’t have it in me to find out. 

I think I need to stick with mysteries which actually have endings, and I’ll save the Pulitzer Prizes for a younger audience who can pay attention longer than thirty minutes. (And that’s only with the help of a timer, and a strong dose of self-discipline.)

I’ll tell you one thing, though, I’ve learned, is if I ever think back on my childhood and come up with a grievance I need to repent on the spot. My childhood was a dream compared to those three young children. (Two real, and one fictional.)

Have you read it, and if you have maybe you could let me know how it turned out. 

(My first clue should have been that it was modern day remake of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I must admit after fifty-one years that I never actually read The Adventures of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens my junior year of high school. However, I did write an entire research paper as if I did. In fact, I’m pretty sure I made an A on that said paper. It was actually out of character for me, but I was bored to tears. Although, I loved to read, literature was never my go to. I made sure to study history in college vs English.)