I enjoyed this book! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

I have fairly mixed thoughts on this book and struggled to even figure out how to rate it. It was so, so, so very good and spoke to me on a deeply personal level, yet at the same time, it was far from perfect. It certainly inspired more strong emotions in me than most other books I've read lately. But half of those emotions were of the "screw this asshole" variety, so I wouldn't really call this a wholly positive experience either.

So first of all: the good. It was a fantastic magical realism horror story. There was great pacing, lots of solidly spooky bits, and an overall feeling of uncanniness that worked quite well for the book. It's dreamy and eerie and confusing in the best sort of way. I also enjoyed that the conclusion was a little different from many other similar books I've read. <spoiler>Instead of all the fantastical things peaking in a climax with piles of gore and horror, the narrator has to learn to embrace and confront them. That concept works very well for the book's exploration of grief, and I liked it quite a bit.</spoiler>

Furthermore, the focus on grief, guilt, and parenting were very nicely handled. The narrator draws you into his life and makes you feel his experiences very deeply. Vercher does a great job of creating a complex tangle of love, guilt, hope, and resentment that's very intriguing to consider. The explorations of race also rung very true to my experiences as a biracial person. Several scenes drew to mind situations from my childhood and referenced familiar dynamics from my own family. I appreciated that the author explores a lot of the challenges of being mixed race without ever falling into tired stereotypes about confused and tragic mulattoes. While he's realistic about issues like feeling "not black enough," he doesn't linger on them or use them as an excuse for racist rhetoric. Altogether, this novel did an excellent job of expressing a distinct, biracial, Black identity in a way that I'm not sure I've seen in any other stories.

However, I felt the whole thing could've been a lot stronger than it was. The ending felt fairly rushed. Almost all the plantation plotlines were left dangling while the story veered to focus entirely on the grief plot, so the conclusion wasn't as satisfying as it could've been. And while the characterization was quite strong, the narrator was often so unlikeable that it pulled me out of the story. Furthermore, it was often hard to separate the views of the narrator from the views of the author. If every single woman is sexualized in the book, is it the narrator being sexist or is it Vercher struggling to write authentic female characters?

I also think that some of the discussions of racism were hampered by over-the-top strawmen as the antagonists. For example, the whole bit with a wedding company wanting to buy the plantation. White people aren't frothing at the mouth to just get married on the site of a human tragedy. They want the pretty buildings. No one's going to pay thousands for a wedding on an empty lot. Perhaps one could argue these scenes were satirical, over-the-top situations meant to highlight the absurdity of racism. But given the more personal feel of the rest of the book, I think more realistic levels of nuance would've made more sense.

Finally, I think the topic of religion wasn't really handled well. There's certainly a lot of room to examine the subtle interplay between religion, grief, guilt, and tradition. But portraying Christianity as a solely white religion foisted on black people by their oppressors is ignoring the long history of Christianity in Africa. The Coptic Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox churches were some of the first in the world and are home to some of the oldest monasteries and church buildings in existence. That one probably won't bug most readers as much as it bugged me, but as a history nerd, I found it fairly offputting.

So to sum it all up, Devil Is Fine made me write a whole-ass essay in my free time, so despite its issues, it's an incredibly engaging and thought-provoking novel that is definitely worth a read.

I've decided that anytime an author has a character under the age of seventy-five use the word "booze", I am automatically deducting a star.
Overall, I liked this story about a mixed race man, still grieving the loss of his son, who inherits a slave plantation from his white grandfather. There were parts I didn't love, though, like the protagonist thinking he was becoming a jellyfish, and other couple other weird things like that.
Thanks to #netgalley and #celadonbooks for this #arc of #devilisfine in exchange for an honest review.

“Devil Is Fine” brought tears to my eyes. A biracial author inherits a plantation from his white grandfather. He is already reeling from a terrible tragedy. This just complicates it more and reality and imaginary get very mixed up. It has a bit of slow start but lots of emotions on display.

"Devil is Fine" Is a thoughtful novel that explores important themes like identity, race, and personal struggles. The author writes in a way that draws you in, and he does a good job of showing the emotional challenges his character's face.

However, the pacing of the story felt uneven at times, with some parts dragging a bit, which made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. A few plot points were a bit predictable, and However, the pacing of the story felt uneven at times, with some parts dragging a bit, which made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. A few plot points were a bit predictable, and while the themes were interesting, I wanted to see more depths in the characters.

Overall, The book brings up some meaningful issues, The book brings up some meaningful issues, but it didn't completely connect with me. If you're interested in stories about identity and social issues, it's worth checking out, but The book brings up some meaningful issues, but it didn't completely connect with me. If you're interested in stories about identity and social issues, it's worth checking out, but it might not be for everyone.

Devil is Fine was really interesting. I loved the mix of memoir with supernatural elements. The narration was excellent on audio also.

This is well written but unfortunately wasn’t for me. I can see why others love the story though! It was a stretch in genre for my taste so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.

John Vercher tells a contemplative and moving story of a grieving father, continuously brought back to the thoughts, confidences, challenges, and loss of his only son. The narrative, while fixed in a specific, modern day setting, fluctuates and flows to the main characters past as well as a long buried history of slavery that flows in his mixed race ancestry.

While dealing with the loss of his son and a dwindling career as a writer and lecturer, the protagonist discovers an unexpected inheritance left to him by his estranged father. A large parcel of land holds a dark secret, rooted in the history of slavery in the region.

Devil is Fine transitions from realism to something close to the supernatural as the protagonist is literally transported to the past when overtaken by the memories of the abuse and atrocities that happened on this haunted piece of land. As trouble mounts for the writer, he also begins to suspect that he is horrifically transforming into an entirely different creature, with tentacles rather than limbs.

This was SO good. I was so hooked by this story. It was emotional, heartbreaking, a little haunting? It’s filled with grief. Some parts were a little strange but not in a bad way, I kept like trying to figure out how things were happening? It’s hard to explain without spoiling.

I didn’t get the jellyfish on the cover when I started it but they actually play a big part in the story.

This was a quick read, a bit heavy, but beautifully written. I’ll probably be adding this to my top books of the year so far. The audiobook narrator is AMAZING. Highly recommend this one on audiobook.

Thank you @netgalley and @celadonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This had the bones of an interesting story (no pun intended), but I think the main character was just so irritating it never fully formed for me. At no point in the entire story did I feel like he didn't act like a self-involved asshole, and I'm really not sure how he managed to get so many people on his side by the end. How many times can someone stick their foot in their mouth by making a snarky comment? He explains in the book that it's somewhat of a defense mechanism when he's uncomfortable, but at certain points it just seemed downright stupid. I believe this is part of the character growing, but it was irritating to read. I also think the more meta it got, the more I became unsure of what was even happening in the story. I don't want to get into spoilers, but the timeline of what was happening became confusing to me as it blurred with flashbacks, present time, hallucinations, and books. What was real? What wasn't real? I couldn't tell ya!

The concept of a biracial man being haunted by his family, alive and dead, known and unknown, is certainly a fascinating one. I tend to enjoy books with some magical realism, and a theme of "am I going crazy or is this really happening" and it just didn't quite land for me. The style of fantasy/horror reminded me a lot of The Ballad of Black Tom (although more based in reality), so if you enjoyed that book, this would probably be your speed.

I did enjoy the side characters of this book. I also think it is an interesting meditation on generational trauma and family bonds, and the confusing nature of being biracial (I say this as someone who has a black father and white mother, and presents as white). As I said, the bones of this book were good, and I would be interested in reading more from this author.

🪼 This was an incredibly unique story that used grief, and a dose of magical realism, to paint a picture of growing up Black in America. Thank you to @celadonbooks for this one— it’s out now.

🪼 Ok, all of these things are happening in this book:
- the MC is talking to his dead son who about their tulmutous relationship, his own childhood, the path that brought him to become a father
- the MC is in a tense spot with the university where he works because he hasn’t published since 2020(ish?) and it’s believed the landscape has changed and nobody wants to read about race anymore
- the MC learns he’s inherited the land of a former plantation and bodies are uncovered there
- through either magical realism, or a mix of alcohol and pills, the MC also imagines he’s turning into a jelly fish

🪼 It’s a lot right? And while there were some really beautiful parts to this story and some really poignant moments— there was also just a LOT going on and I’m honestly not sure I fully understood it. In fact, at the end, I wasn’t quite sure what the takeaway was supposed to be. 😬

🪼 Read this if you really enjoyed Hell of a Book— it reminded me a lot of that one, with elements from The Reformatory as well.

Stories about losing a child are hard to read. This author did a great job mixing supernatural elements in the story, but making them relevant and suspenseful. It's a sad story, but funny in parts. The imagery is great. The relationships between the characters were believable. Everybody was multi-dimensional, and many of the characters were flawed but trying their best.

I did a lot of this in audio, and the narrator could not have been more fantastic.

Thank you NetGalley and LibroFM for the ARC .

Devil is Fine" by John Vercher is a compelling work of literary fiction that artfully blends a touch of magical realism into its narrative. Vercher's writing is undeniably excellent, drawing readers into the story with his vivid descriptions. The plot, engaging and thought-provoking, kept me interested throughout the book.

However, the elements of magical realism, while creative, felt somewhat out of place and confusing to me. They seemed to detract from the otherwise poignant storyline. Personally, I found these parts unnecessary and they interrupted the flow of the narrative for me.

Despite this, I still enjoyed the book and appreciated its intriguing story. It reminded me of "Don’t Cry for Me," with its emotional depth and exploration of complex themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I never fully connected with the plot or the writing style, but I'm confident others will appreciate it more than I did.

I found this book to be a hard emotional read for me. Watching a father move through the process of grieving and surviving the loss of his teenage son was difficult to read. John Vercher was able to create the perfect blend of history, magical realism and dark humor all combine in one novel. I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC.

The role of Devil in the writer’s life

Devil is Fine by John Vercher struck a great balance between tangible horrors and magical realism, and the writing was eerily seductive. However, I’d rate the contemplation of the questions the book left me with higher than the actual reading experience.

The unnamed narrator is struggling with a lot. Grief over the loss of his son, panic attacks, systemic racism, publishing a book that will please the white readers, and much much more, and he is using alcohol to cope with it all. The past is haunting him, mistakes he made and the sins of others. There's generational trauma, religious quandary, and identity crisis. There were some truly heartbreaking moments, but also some that made me laugh out loud. The jokes and the characters’ names and nicknames were absolutely fantastic. And the meta-ness of it is great for checking those sneaky biases.

Usually, all of that would add up to a five star read for me, and I really wanted it to be. When I try to pinpoint exactly what didn’t work for me, I wonder if my sympathy for the MC’s guilt was limited, or, with so many issues being explored, it could be none of them seemed to get the depth I wanted. But then, all of that could be precisely the point. There are multiple sides to every story, how much of what we take from them is based on what we can and can't see? Even though I didn’t give this one five stars, I do recommend it, and I would read other books by this author.

Thank you Celadon for the copy to read and review.

The devil is fine review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon books and the author for the free copy in exchange for a review.

This book was really interesting and totally outside of my comfort zone and normal reading style. It was a bit slow to get into but the writing was so beautiful and gripping that I powered on.

This book can be heavy at times, so
I often had to put it down for a break, because sometimes my brain couldn’t process what I was reading fully. This book covers heavy topics such as racism and division within families, child loss, mental health and alcoholism.

This book had such strong emotion in the writing that it brought me to tears on several occasions.

This book also contained a lot of magical, imagery and verged on science fiction with some things that the main character was either imagining or experiencing throughout the story.

If you are in the mood for something different and powerful, I would definitely give this book a shot. I ended up half reading it and half listening to the Audible narration, and I do feel that it would be better to read listening to it was difficult at times. However, the narrator was very talented, and I enjoyed his narration.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book and gave this type of story a chance and I would love to read more by this author.

This spring I had the opportunity to read and discuss Devil is Fine by @jverchwrites with the virtual book club I run for my local public library! What a special opportunity this was. Our book club absolutely adored this book. And if there was ever a book where one would want to discuss it afterward with the author, this is the book. Thank you @celadonbooks for sending me an advance copy of this book.

Devil is Fine is not at all what I expected, and I totally loved it. It’s inventive and multi-faceted, with definite Lone Women vibes. I loved the way the author developed this narrative, the many characters he brought together, and the way time and space and family held this book together. If you get the chance, please read this book!!!

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.

I wish I had known this had magical realism elements in it, because it can be really hit or miss for me. Unfortunately, I found it to be extremely distracting from the rest of the story, although it was written beautifully. There were times where I felt lost and wanted to get back to the "real" story.

The rest of the story was incredibly well done; it was an emotional and powerful story about a man grieving the loss of his son. The flashback scenes were difficult at times to read due to the emotion within them, and I felt that the unnamed narrator was a real person whose loss I was witnessing firsthand. I honestly could have read 272 pages of just that. I loved watching the narrator become stronger and grow (a spine, unlike the jellyfish he feels he's turning into) through his grief, hardships, his marriage, and more. I think sometimes it can be challenging to write characters who we, as readers, feel utmost empathy for when it's so easy to find them whiny and frustrating, but Vercher wrote this character flawlessly.

A unique richly woven story. I truly enjoyed this book., the writing is incredibly powerful and really draws the reader in.