Perhaps she intuited that it would be long wait for the book on reserve at the library. She was correct as I was number 1077 on the waiting list. So, MJV sent it to me, a gift, and the implication "You must read this!" It's on the NY Times bestseller list. It took awhile, at 546 small print pages. It was the November 2022, selection of Ann Patchett's First Edition Book Club and my membership didn't begin until January.
Here's some of what Ann Patchett said about it. "It's hard to imagine there will be another book this year that will be more important, more discussed, and more widely read than Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. To say that it is riveting doesn't begin to cover it. The idea first came to Kingsolver when she was when she was spending the night in Charles Dicken's house in London....she decided to retell the story of David Copperfield and set in modern day Appalachia."
Patchett had that right. Copperhead is one of those books that will rattle around in my head for a long time to come. It's a clear demonstration of the power of fiction to make a case where essays would lack reader engagement. The truth that is told here, i.e., about the exploitation of the vulnerable by powerful, commercial pharmaceutical and other interests, is remembered because Kingsolver is a very gifted story teller. It's true, that we remember stories, MJV said "No one writes about damaged people like she (Kingsolver) does. She really takes you there." I'd add Marilyn Robinson to that list, Lila for example/
Demon Copperfield suffers from PTSD (my words) because of childhood trauma. The story is told in his voice and narcotics enter the picture at an early age. His life is strewn with the wreckage of drug use on every side. Patchett again "What matters is you read it and encourage other people to read it. (Thanks MJV 😀) This book proves that fiction can still change who we are as a society. It is a stunning achievement."
Five stars out of five, of course!
Takk for alt,,
Al
Field burning at sunset.
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