Calling it now: this is going to be my top read for 2023. Lit classes are going to study this book for Kingsolver's ability to craft an authentic voice, tease out the most telling details, and somehow keep a book that should be wholly depressing (TW: drugs! addiction! orphans! death! abuse!) moving along at a break-neck pace with incisive, laugh-out-loud observations and dialogue. Any curriculum that is still using (fraudulent loser) JD Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" to teach about Appalachia should go ahead and upgrade to this book, stat!

The magic of this book is that you root for Demon even though you know the odds are stacked (and STACKED) against him. He's lovable despite his flaws, and you just want to see him beat the system.