Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead won the 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction. In an interview on Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize for Fiction podcast, Kingsolver talks about how important it was to her to write about her home, Appalachia. In episode one of the Read Appalachia podcast, guest Melissa Helton identifies three waves of Appalachian literature – wave one: outsiders writing about Appalachians (riddled with negative stereotypes), wave two: the earliest published works by Appalachians about Appalachians/Appalachia, and wave three (the current wave): diverse stories and lives from Appalachia. Barbara Kingsolver is part of this third wave, as are many other authors. While you wait to read Demon Copperhead, try out the following novels. In these stories you will find the strong sense of place and community that characterizes Appalachian literature.
Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch
Searching for an idyllic escape from society, Helen naively leaves Seattle for Appalachian Ohio and plans to live off the land. Lily, Karen, and their son Perley join her and together they scrape together a life and family. Confronting and demolishing regional stereotypes head-on, this is a feminist counter-narrative of chosen family and the struggle to survive with memorable characters. This book was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction.
The Birds of Opulence by Crystal Wilkinson
This lyrical, multigenerational novel follows the Goode women in their small town, Opulence. In small towns, secrets are difficult to keep and are often passed down through generations. For the Goode women, their secrets often relate to mental illness. Themes of love, loss, trauma, and disability permeate every page, coupled with unforgettable characters and captivating prose making this an indelible read. If you’d like to read this with a book club, you may enjoy using this discussion guide, or following along with the Appalachian Bookshelf (@appodlachia and @readappalachia on Instagram) July – September.
Crystal Wilkinson is a must-know name in Appalachian literature. She has won several literary awards, teaches creative writing, was Kentucky’s 2021 Poet Laureate, and is an editor for the book series “Appalachian Futures: Black, Native, and Queer Voices” published by University Press of Kentucky (Tar Hollow Trans by Stacey Jane Grover, the first book in the series, was published in June).
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
This short story collection about the lives of Black women and the tension between church and sexuality is a classic of the genre and is currently in development to become an HBO Max series. The women in these stories are complex, fierce, and compelling. The Los Angeles Review of Books says “Philyaw’s fiction stands within a tradition of writing that’s about the beauty and burden of Black life within oppressive social systems.”
Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle
This is the first traditionally published novel by an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and stars Cowney Sequoyah, a fictional, disabled, biracial young man from the same tribe. Set in 1942, this is a unique contribution to the World War II historical fiction and historical mystery genres. While working as a groundskeeper at a hotel that houses prisoners of war, Cowney is betrayed by the woman he loves and the police begin to suspect that he is the cause of a child’s disappearance. Full of intrigue, intricate plotting, and lush writing, this compelling novel propels you towards a heady conclusion.
For author interviews and to learn more about Appalachian literature, check out Read Appalachia. Stay tuned for Introduction to Appalachian Literature, Part 2: Nonfiction!
~Posted by Genesee R.
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