A modern Appalachian retelling of David Copperfield, Demon Copperhead centers on Damon, born to a drug addicted mother and left to the foster care system as a young boy. His epic and adventurous tale takes us though child labor, underfunded schools, homelessness, an incapable foster system, athletic successes, and addiction. The story depicts the opioid crisis moving into the land rich but money poor south, and the love and loss Damon endures throughout his adolescence.

When I was in high school, our AP English summer read for senior year was The Poisonwood Bible and I HATED that book, so I have avoided Kingsolver ever since. Demon Copperhead however was an epic and moving tale, and I loved it. Incredibly well written, this story did such a wonderful job of humanizing those dealing with addiction while showing that overcoming it is possible even though so much loss has occurred. The book is definitely heavy, but has sprinkles of humor. Every character was so complex and well written. Now I want to read David Copperfield!