Examining the Opioid Epidemic in Appalachia— Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead

Abstract: Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Demon Copperhead explores the causes of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia in the healthcare system and economy. It contains a tension between individualistic and structural explanations. While revising David Copperfield , Kingsolver provides a more empathetic portrait of addiction than Dickens. She complicates her novel’s hopeful ending by showing the protagonist must leave home to get well and rebuild his life. This article examines Kingsolver’s representations of and approaches to the opioid epidemic in her novel Demon Copperhead .