Demon copperhead. Barbara Kingsolver. 2023.

Demon’s story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking ‘like a little blue prizefighter’. For the life ahead of him he will need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.

In the southern Appalachian mountains of Virginia, poverty and addiction aren’t ideas. They’re as natural as the grass grows. For Demon, born on the wrong side of luck, the affection and safety he craves are as remote as the ocean he dreams of seeing one day. The wonder is in how far he’s willing to travel to try and get there.