This is a glorious 545-page epic story of a young boy, Demon. He lives in Lee County in Appalachia at the height of the oxycontin crisis.

Demon narrates his difficult life without pity or hatred, which makes your heart ache for him. He is born to a poor single mother who is fighting addiction, his father died before he was born, he is unsurprisingly orphaned and enters the foster system. He lives and loves and makes mistakes.

It is a sad book, but Demon is such a good soul and an optimistic character, so the book doesn’t drown in despair. Through his eyes and the cartoons he draws, Barbara Kingsolver shares her thoughts on the forgotten people in parts of rural America. It’s a love letter to Virginia and respects the people who are doing it tough due to no fault of their own. The reductions in the coal and tobacco industries have created huge unemployment and the addiction crisis adds another layer to an embattled area.

This is the type of book that I became a part of and the characters lived in my head. I wanted to constantly read it to see what happens to Demon but then I have to slow down because I didn’t want it to end. I was cheering him on with every page.

There is a twist at play which I won’t reveal. This book is excellent but when you know the twist you will be even more impressed by the brilliant writing and storytelling. It is a beautifully crafted story with rich characters.

Reviewed by Nicola Skinstad

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