This book kind of reminds me of Kristin Hannah’s writing - things get worse and worse and worse… and when you finish the book, you miss the characters and wonder how they are doing, and think about them throughout your day. I guess it’s the amount of time you spend with them, and of course, the writing.

I read this book for my local bookclub tonight and I probably wouldn’t have read it if it wasn’t the selection. It’s kind of overwhelming in size and it is a tough read. Hundreds of pages of drug abuse and tough situations.

Demon has red hair, green eyes and begins the book living with his mother, who is an addict. His dad died early in his life, and when his mom meets a man who makes life difficult, it begins his journey of figuring out life for himself. We watch him grow up in foster homes, going back to his grandparents and try to find someone who cares for him as a family. It is all a tough journey, to say the least.

I felt like, at times, there was more detail given than necessary, like stories that didn’t pertain to the plot. I felt like it could have been edited down some.


I didn’t read David Copperfield, so I went and read a synopsis of it. It does seem to follow the original format (600-1200 pages depending on version). It’s interesting how Kingsolver wanted to tell a story of the opioid crisis in Appalachia and found a format through Charles Dickens work featuring a life of poverty.

“Everybody warns about bad influences, but it's these things already inside you that are going to take you down.” Ch 36

“Good people, bad people, what does that even mean? Get down to the rock and the hard place, and we're all just soft flesh and the weapon at hand. Ch 40

“Where does the road to ruin start?” Oprah asked this question in her bookclub, and I thought it was a good one. Ch 41

“Many had tried their best with us, but we came out of too-hungry mothers. Four demons spawned by four different starving hearts.” Cho 45

“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.” ch 56

There is a little propaganda about the issue of oxy 
“She said Purdue looked at data and everything with their computers, and handpicked targets like Lee County that were gold mines. They actually looked up which doctors had the most pain patients on disability, and sent out their drug reps for the full offensive.” Ch 49