Demon Copperhead: a Novel
by Barbara Kingsolver
Contents
56
Overview
Demon finds Dori dead of an overdose and, after a grim cleanup, is forced to hand control to Aunt Fred, who stages a generic funeral and treats Dori and Demon’s life as disposable. Angus shows up, steadies Demon, and explains her plan to manage Coach’s fallout and sobriety while preparing her own exit. Afterward, Demon loses the home as Aunt Fred throws everything out, leaving Demon sleeping in his Impala and clinging to one last act of choice by burying Jip.
Summary
In April, nearly a year after Vester’s death, Demon comes home in early evening and finds Dori dead from an overdose. Numb and practiced from past crises, Demon cleans Dori and the house, hides drugs and paraphernalia, and then calls for help. The EMTs insist on contacting next of kin, so Demon hands over Dori’s phone and uses it to reach Aunt Fred.
Rumors quickly spread that Demon broke into the house or was one of Dori’s many “men friends,” and Aunt Fred does not even recognize Demon. Demon cannot fight back as Aunt Fred takes charge of everything, choosing a standard church funeral and controlling the narrative. Dori is buried beside Vester and her mother, the only decision Demon feels is right.
Demon moves through the service feeling like stone, while a small group attends—mostly care nurses from Vester’s time, Donnamarie and coworkers from the store, and a few former school acquaintances. Angus’s appearance surprises Demon, and Angus quietly guides Demon through the day. At the graveside, everyone waits over an hour because Aunt Fred and her daughter (“Tonto”) get lost on the back roads, and many attendees leave before the burial.
To avoid the graveside scene, Demon and Angus walk into nearby pines, where Angus asks if Demon will be okay and Demon finally breaks down. Demon asks about Coach and the scandal; Angus says she and Coach explained matters to the school board, and while Coach might be suspended, it likely will not happen until after fall season. Angus is preparing to sell or rent the house, move to Norton for community college, and push Coach toward sobriety and AA, giving him a year of support before she leaves for a four-year college.
After the funeral, Demon rushes to remove his belongings because Aunt Fred returns in rubber gloves and treats the house like hazardous waste, bagging everything—including Dori’s kept clothes—and arranging to dump it all without a sale. Demon loads his possessions into the Impala and sleeps in the car nearby while the trash pile grows. Demon later discovers Jip’s dead body bundled under the trash, takes Jip behind the tool shed, and buries him—Demon’s only goodbye he can control.
Who Appears
- Demon (Damon Fields)Finds Dori dead, manages aftermath, endures funeral, loses home, buries Jip.
- DoriDies from an overdose; her death triggers funeral and household purge by family.
- AngusShows up to support Demon; outlines plans for Coach, school fallout, and her future.
- Aunt FredDori’s next of kin; controls funeral, judges Demon, and throws out Dori’s possessions.
- Coach WinfieldFacing school-board consequences; Angus pushes him toward sobriety and contingency plans.
- ThelmaOffers brief kindness at the burial, one of few to acknowledge Demon.
- JipDori’s small dog; dies as well and is buried by Demon behind the tool shed.
- MinisterOfficiates the graveside service, waiting to proceed until Aunt Fred arrives.
- EMTsRespond to Dori’s overdose death; require Demon to provide next-of-kin contact.