Demon Copperhead

A masterpiece in storytelling from the global bestselling author of Unsheltered and Flight Behaviour.

WINNER OF A 2023 PULITZER PRIZE IN FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE

THE MULTI-MILLION COPY SELLING AUTHOR

BOOK AT BEDTIME ON BBC RADIO 4

AN OPRAH BOOK CLUB PICK

WITH OVER 22,000 5* REVIEWS

'Extraordinary.' OPRAH

'She means to save us by telling us stories...

She comes closer than anyone else I know.' ANN PATCHETT'

Electrifying... Every sentence here sizzles.' Daily Mai

l'It's EPIC. Righteously angry, DEEPLY moving and exquisitely written.' MARIAN KEYES

'A powerful tale.' Good Housekeeping

'A fantastic read.' EMILY MAITLIS

'A masterclass.' RICHARD POWERS

Demon Copperhead is a once-in-a-generation novel that breaks and mends your heart in the way only the best fiction can.

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 would 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 isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends.

'Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster care. For Demon, born on the wrong side of luck, the affection and safety he craves is 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.

Suffused with truth, anger and compassion, Demon Copperhead is an epic tale of love, loss and everything in between.