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Emily Bright

Ask a Bookseller: David Copperfield reimagined in Appalachia

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Alicia Michielli of Talking Leaves Books in Buffalo, New York recommends the novel “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is based on David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
HarperCollins Publishers

The novel is a fairly direct retelling of “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens, set in the 1980s in Appalachia — familiar territory for rural Kentucky-born Kingsolver.

“In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story,” the summary of the book reads on the HarperCollins website. “‘Demon Copperhead’ speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.”

The story follows red-headed Damon, nicknamed Demon Copperhead. Raised at first by a loving, addict mother and abusive stepfather, he soon finds himself journeying through the foster system.

If you haven't read the Dicken classic, don't let that stop you. Michielli says this tale of a boy's fortunes and misfortunes translate beautifully under Kingsolver's pen.

“She's able to write sentences that are short and they're concise, but they break your heart,” raves Michielli. “There's never over-description. She just manages to get to the heart of the way things feel. Just like an arrow.”