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I received this book for free from Celadon Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Devil Is Fine by John Vercher Narrator: Dion Graham
Length: 8 hours 36 minutes
Published by Celadon Books on June 18, 2024
Genres: Fiction / African American & Black / General, Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / General, Fiction / Magical Realism
Pages: 272
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Celadon Books
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Goodreads
“FULL OF MYSTERY, MAGIC, DARK COMEDY, AND HEART.” ―Deesha Philyaw
“AN INTIMATE NOVEL, BY TURNS BRACING AND HILARIOUS.” ―Maurice Carlos Ruffin
“PROFOUNDLY MOVING.” ―Ben Fountain
“THE NOVEL’S FINAL PAGES WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS.” ―Jonathan Escoffery
Still reeling from a sudden tragedy, our biracial narrator receives a letter from an attorney: he has just inherited a plot of land from his estranged white grandfather. He travels to a beach town several hours south of his home with the intention of selling the land immediately and moving on. But upon inspection, what lies beneath the dirt is far more complicated than he ever imagined. In a shocking irony, he is now the Black owner of a former plantation passed down by the men on his white mother’s side of the family.
Vercher deftly blurs the lines between real and imagined, past and present, tragedy and humor, and fathers and sons in this story of discovering and reclaiming a painful past. With the wit and rawness of Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, Devil Is Fine is a gripping, surreal, and brilliantly crafted dissection of the legacies we leave behind and those we inherit.
Book Review: Devil is Fine by John Vercher
Devil is Fine book was equal parts darkly hilarious and tragic. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is phenomenal. His voice characterization is so nuanced throughout the narration. The speeding up of his voice at key moments or the subtle drop that lends itself to the humor of the moment were brilliant.
This was a unique story with supernatural elements infused into it. The narrator is a writer and professor who is biracial. He has recently inherited a former plantation from his white grandfather. Something that absolutely causes inner (and outer) conflict as he tries to figure out what to do with it once his plans to immediately sell it are thwarted by what is found on the property.
The timeline jumped between the different ages of the narrator’s son who recently passed away. Through flashbacks and present day you learn more about the narrator’s relationship with his son.
There are confrontations. There are jellyfish. A little bit of spiritual possession. And a whole lot of laughs because if you didn’t you might cry in this very different tale of a father and son. It toggles between the past and present, the natural and the supernatural, the tragedy of life and the humor we need to survive it.
This was a surprise 5 star for me. I recommend it to anyone looking for something with dark humor that is a little bit different than your regular contemporary father-son tale. If you are looking for a book to wrap up the summer, try this one.
Also, I can’t resist teasing this, but I love coming to the place in a novel where you find out the reasoning behind the title. I was absolutely blown away and shocked when I got to the title reveal in this book. So good.
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