The intended similarity to David Copperfield is what drew me towards this book by Barbara Kingsolver. I usually lack the patience for a weighty 600+ pages book. But such was my ardour to read the modernized version of the classic that I pepped myself to do it.
Demon Copperhead traces the life of the protagonist Damon Fields – from the time of his birth in freakish circumstances, his life as an orphan accentuated by his journey through various foster homes, his adult life, a short lived fame and the unsavoury habits that threaten to ruin his life.
The book starts with a whole lot of promise and keeps you engaged with a vivid and realistic narration of the adversity and challenges faced by little Damon starting with his birth in the most bizarre situation. It brings to light so wonderfully well – the hardships that a child is forced to endure as a result of troubled marriages & irresponsible parenting.
What comes as a heart warming side of things is their next door neighbours – The Peggots. The care and love they bestow upon him, his friendship with Maggot and their bonding is a speck of hope that keeps things alive in a troubled time.
Probably the most emphatic part of the book which managed to touch my heart is the journey of Demon from one foster home to another. What a true-to-life description that pierces your heart right through. I was flabbergasted when the Peggots shirk away from having Damon after the passing of his mother. There are numerous heart wrenching sequences as Demon’s fight for survival continues. It makes for an astounding read which is in ways cruel, in ways adventurous, but most of all gritty.
How does one define hunger? Probably the feeling when not having enough to eat? Well, a startling picture is painted by the author that makes you realise the true magnitude of the word! It is beautiful as well as heart breaking. How his foster guardians would not feed him enough, how he would imagine food in his dreams, how he would sneak some bites when they are not around and the little Haillie coming to his rescue.
Yet another passage I absolutely loved was when Demon gets swindled off his savings by that con woman at the truck stop! The author does such a swell job in catching the pulse of the scene – I almost could see that witchy old scary faced woman. It is tragic to see Demon wiped off the money he had saved working so hard. And if that was not enough, even his half an apple was taken away next. You feel so much love for the little Damon.
The story is on a continuous rise as Demon miraculously finds his estranged grandmother – all credit to his grit and determination. You feel happy and relieved thinking he has finally found a stable and permanent home as the Coach takes Damon under his wings. But sadly, the story plateaus from here on (for a while). There is not much happening – to the point it starts to feel dragging. Lots of football, school, teachers & girls.
What also gets a bit overpowering is all that bit about weed, drugs and all the dirt that accompanies it. It just keeps getting worse – dark, depressing, filthy and abhorrent. I felt this was much over emphasised. And add to it the casual & indifferent use of cuss words which diminishes the worthiness for me. At one point, hardly two sentences go by without – what Damon calls – f-bombs! And I do not buy the argument this was necessary to bring out any effect of the story.
Amidst all the darkness, the book is speckled with memorable incidents & small touches of the author. Damon’s fascination with superheroes & inborn talent of sketching. The friendship with Tommy is a sight. Or that time when Damon wraps Dori’s dead dog JIP in his striped towel – giving him a respectable send off is quite touching. And there are parts to keep the excitement quotient high – as when Hammer & Fast Forward meet their fate.
Life is about the choices we make. And bad choices is what this book talks about. Both Damon & Maggot’s mothers make bad choices in their marriages. And their children have to bear the fruit. But there are some questions the book leaves you with. And I still cannot find the answer to them. For one, why did Damon have to make such bad choices and squander away his promising new life at the hands of drugs? This is even more inexplicable & unpardonable when he had been on the verge of loosing his life on more than one occasion. And, when life ultimately started becoming kind to him – at a time when got it all – a home, fame, girlfriend – he just blows it away for that wretched football and his broken knee – falling prey to drugs!
Another question that leaves me with a helpless feeling is – why on earth did the Peggots not allow Damon to stay? His life would not have been on the verge of ruin like this. Why did they leave him starving to death? At the least they could have guided him to his grandmother – which the poor boy himself did at the brink of falling dead!
But as they say, all is well that ends well 🙂 The book more than makes up for it’s despairing part with some beautiful last few chapters that regale you with hope and brightness. It is such an amazing feeling to see all things that had gone wrong slowly mend. A fitting end to a beautiful book.
Conclusion:
Sometimes I am amazed with the spate of thrillers which come in bunches & provide a momentary adrenaline rush. Amidst these stands Demon Copperhead saying – Let’s get real for once! I confess, I had felt it got too dark at a point in the story. But as an overall picture, it now seems more or less justified to highlight the scale of the issue being addressed.
The author successfully balances it with the usher of hope and smile towards the end. It was so comforting to see Damon heal. It was heart wrenching to see him revisit all those places from his life. The very truck stop where he was robbed. Or the park where Miss Barks had taken him. Or remembering his first encounter with Angus. And that underlying significance of the Ocean to him. Beautifully written.
If anything, I do feel the book was a bit too long. If there were an abridged version, I think it would only work in favor of this book.
To the likes of us who have not been fortunate enough to read Charles Dicken’s classic, we can only thank Barbara Kingsolver for bringing out this modern day adaptation. You may get it here.
I close this with the same Charles Dicken’s quote that this book begins with
It is in vain to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present.
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
You may want to try these other fine reads We Are The Brennans , Black Cake , French Braid