While grieving over the loss of his son Malcolm, his biracial father is soon contacted by an attorney who tells him that he has inherited a plot of land from his white grandfather, land that was meant to go to Malcolm but, due to his untimely death, the land must pass on to his next of kin. He has every intention of traveling to the property with the intention of selling it, but when an inspection takes place discoveries are made, mainly that this land is a former plantation; he is now a Black man in possession of a former plantation.

This is a powerful novel that is beautifully written. The themes and emotions that it touches on are intense at times, but bring with them a powerful message. I liked the flashbacks throughout the novel; they gave a deeper understanding of the narrator, his father, Malcolm, and their respective relationship. I began to have a lot of compassion for the narrator as the novel went on. At times I did find myself a little lost or confused however; there were things that occurred within the pages that I questioned or were completely baffled by. I’m not really sure why there was the use of magical realism in the story and what part it played in the telling of the tale, and at times it took away from my enjoyment of what I felt was a powerful story full of sensitive issues that, in all honesty, should be addressed and talked about in society in an attempt to come together as human beings.

“The self-evident truth meant I had no room for error, that they had no time for a diversity hire professor, who didn’t publish, especially after that diversity hire was hired due to the acclaim of his diversity book, but then couldn’t publish because he wrote another diversity book that the zeitgeist had now determined was too diverse. … I mean, my God, man, think of the optics. They couldn’t be out of step with the times. There was enrollment to consider.”

The unnamed protagonist is a biracial writing professor. (That also describes the author of this book.) The book begins with the protagonist’s panic attack on his way to a funeral. We very gradually learn who died, and near the of the book we finally learn why the protagonist is in such despair. Complicating his life is the discovery that he has just inherited a plantation from his racist white grandfather. And he also has to publish a new book, and diversity may be out of fashion.

While I loved the author’s first two books, I was less in love with this one. The book was too meta for me and I am not a fan of magical realism. When characters start to talk to ghosts the book usually loses me. Nevertheless, this book was an interesting exploration of grief and the country’s racial past. The book reminded me a little of Percival Everett’s work.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I assume people sink into past instead of thinking about the future once they lose a child. Future and what it could be disappears once the chance to carry piece of you into future dies. All you are left with is yourself and what came before you.

How would you react when you inherit something that was meant for your child? From a white grandfather, as a biracial man, after a child's death? How can you justify owning a plantation while your ancestors worked on that plantation and you were result of the abuse those ancestors went through? But on the other hand, you are descended of that abuser too. Those are loaded questions for any man, but for someone who just lost a child they are soul crashing.

The book has this magical air, but also the fog of the decisions need to be made. The father crosses the line between reality and dream way too often for reader to differentiate what's his imagination. I don't know how magical realism and social satire go together, but they did here for sure.

Devil is Fine was an interesting read! I enjoyed it but if I'm being honest, I wasn't sure what was even happening most of the time. Haha. The narrator is filled with grief over the loss of his teenage son when he finds out that he has inherited a plantation from his grandparents in which bodies of enslaved peoples are then found. What follows is sort of mind boggling because again, what is even happening to the narrator? We also get bits and pieces of his life and relationship with his son before his death and flashbacks to his childhood. Maybe I missed it but I would like to have known more about the falling out with his grandparents. While, heavy in subject matter there were some funny moments that provided comedic relied which was often needed. The end was ambiguous which further made me wonder if what I read was a fever dream or not. The writing was beautiful but my brain could have used a more straightforward approach. I would read more by this author though.

I was pleased to be able to read this book after receiving a invite from celadon books and netgalley

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.


This was a brilliant book, that I laughed and at times felt uncomfortable with but in the correct ways for me. It’s description of panic attacks was one of the best I’ve read. The themes of loss, identity and what we inherit (and not just horrible family secrets and horrible histories) and what kind of person we end up. Then what we do with that.

I enjoyed this slim little volume. It didn't take me long to read and it had great summer vibes--I really felt the heat and humidity of the setting. It was an unsettling book but in all the best ways, and I loved the narrative of the author speaking to his son. I wasn't sure I liked it when I finished it but the more I ruminate on the story and its messages, the higher my rating of this book is. Well done and well written.

There is no doubt that John Vercher is one of the best authors writing today. Devis is Fine is a poignant and humorous book, written with a steady and knowing hand.

A literary work of art! This was a brilliant story of grief, trauma fatherhood, racial identity, and the legacy’s we both leave behind and for our families. With exquisite prose, dark humor, complex characters and a gripping narrative this one was hard to put down!

I really didn't know what I had gotten myself into by reading this but I am so glad I did! It is so strange and brilliant. I went through so many emotions while reading and I cannot stop thinking about it. It was the grief from dealing with the loss of child and the illness of a parent, the issues from being biracial, the microaggressions towards minorities in the workplace and in publishing, and whew... the magical realism! It was so much to unpack here. But Vercher does an amazing job tackling them all. Five stars! No notes.

Our unnamed narrator is biracial (born to a White mother and a Black father). He is grieving the death of his son when he is notified that he has inherited land from his estranged grandfather. It turns out that in the past the land was a former plantation.

The novel consists of a conversation that the narrator is having with his deceased son and there is a definite element of magical realism.
Unfortunately, I am not a fan of magical realism and so this book was probably not for me, however, the I thought that the plot was intriguing and the well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The story centers a biracial Black father grieving the recent death of his seventeen-year-old son, whose life is further unmoored when he inherits a plantation from his estranged white grandfather, and remains of both enslavers and enslaved are immediately discovered on the property. The man (whose name we never learn) is a writer and professor, and he thrills his agent by emailing her in the middle of the night with a book proposal based on these real-life events. But when morning comes he has no memory of writing the proposal his agent loves so much. He grows increasingly concerned as he begins hearing voices—and fears he's turning into a jellyfish. Vercher beautifully incorporates these elements of magical realism into his story to portray a man and father wrestling with past wrongs, and grasping at some sort of way forward. A book club could have a great time with this: there is so much to discuss.

I love books about realistic characters going through loss, grief, healing and/or seeking redemption, so when I read the synopsis of this book I had a feeling this was the kinda book for me.
And I wasn't wrong. I did like it, I did care for the father protagonist and all his struggles and journey to healing, and I also enjoyed John Vercher's writing style.
Personally, I didn't find myself as emotionally invested as I wanted to be, but I don't blame the book. The conclusion was also not my favourite part, but it's okay.
I can see other readers loving this books more than I did.
I certainly recommend this one to readers who are into character-driven stories focused on someone's pain and journey to redemption.

This book was beautifully written. It starts out with the narrator (main character) dealing with the recent death of his son.
Magical realism combined with beautiful literary work makes this a book you want to confine reading.

A beautiful story of grief, love, and family. This was one of the most unique books I have read. I have to admit, I did get a little lost eveyr once in a while with how lyrically this book is written but overall it was a compelling story. The ending was exactly what I wanted so that was perfect for me!

"Devil Is Fine" by John Vercher plunges readers into a complex narrative woven with mystery, humor, and poignant reflection. The story follows a biracial protagonist who, reeling from personal tragedy, unexpectedly inherits land that turns out to be a former plantation. This ironic twist thrusts him into a journey of confronting his family's troubled legacy, blurring the lines between past and present, reality and imagination.

Vercher's narrative prowess shines as he navigates themes of race, identity, and inheritance with both bracing honesty and dark comedy. The protagonist's exploration of the plantation's history forces him to grapple with uncomfortable truths and reckon with the complexities of his lineage. The novel's blend of surrealism and emotional depth draws comparisons to Paul Beatty's "The Sellout," offering a profound examination of the burdens we inherit and the choices we make to reconcile with our pasts.

"Devil Is Fine" is not just a story of historical reckoning but also a deeply personal journey of self-discovery and redemption. Vercher's writing is compelling, his characters vividly rendered, and the exploration of themes deeply resonant. By the novel's gripping conclusion, readers are left breathless, contemplating the lasting impact of our histories and the power of reclaiming one's narrative.

What a beautifully intense read! I didn’t want to put it down. I love how the author, John Vercher, was able to weave creepy, unnerving, bizarrely unsettling situations with incredibly real, lived, factually accurate experiences.

Ultimately, I understood this story to be about a biracial man finally coming into his own as a father only after the passing of his son. And as a parent myself, reading about this main character’s journey through parenthood was a raw, vulnerable experience. Add the element of Christianity and when parents force it upon their children, and I was an emotional wreck for intermittent scenes throughout the book! Hello, religious trauma.

And also I love when writers write about writers, a story contains a story about stories. And this book delivered on just that. It reminds readers of the other side of this literary equation. The books we read are often a struggle to publish and can mean an incredible amount, financially and emotionally, to authors looking for stability. It can be a tough industry and is certainly one fraught with trends, fads, and pressures.

My only struggle with this book was some sentence structure. On several occasions there were sentences that stretched on for so long I’d get lost in the character’s thought process. This certainly could have been intentional, to illustrate the continuous flow of ideas, the mess of his mind at times, and the anxiety he experienced. But it was posed a challenge to comprehend here and there.

Overall, I absolutely loved this story, was rooting for the main character the entire time, and look forward to owning physical a copy!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for trusting me with an ARC.

The Devil Is Fine, by John Vercher, was published on June 18, 2024.

“If I got to choose between your God and the devil, then the devil is fine.”

Still reeling from a sudden tragedy, an unnamed 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.

This was an interesting and unique perspective as a biracial unnamed man struggles to cope with identity and truth, grief and family legacy, and colonialism.

“I don’t know how to weigh loss. But I do know how heavy it is.”

The writing is full of evocative imagery and deftly moves between reality and imagination, past and present, as the narrator struggles to cope with new found knowledge about his past. With the help of supportive new friends, he grows into a new understanding of his deceased son as well as his own identity.

I confess I struggled some with the magic and hallucinations. The writing is intensely lyrical but some of the meaning was lost along the way for me. I’ve seen many positive reviews and think this just wasn’t a good fit for me.

A blend of literary fiction, political satire, history, humor, and magical realism, Devil is Fine tells a tale of generational legacy that will engross fans of Paul Beatty's The Sellout. The story is told by a grieving father who is trying to reconcile trauma from his past- both with his son, and with his family's legacy of plantation owning. Incredible premise and a book I will be recommending to patrons.

John Vercher’s Devil Is Fine opens with a heartbreaking and humbling scene I don’t think I’ll ever forget. The unnamed narrator is driving his car in a funeral procession when he encounters road construction, noticing a dancing flagger. The funeral procession is for his seventeen year old son Mal, and when the narrator has a panic attack, the flagger eases the narrator through it with compassion. I was hooked right away, drawn in by the story, as well as Vercher’s lyrical writing style.

The narrator, who is biracial, soon learns he has inherited land upon the death of his son from his estranged white grandfather. He travels to the small beach town to sell the property, only to discover he is now the black owner of a former plantation—and harrowing secrets are buried beneath the dirt.

Vercher does a marvelous job blending what’s real and what’s not as our narrator processes his grief, shock, and finds himself more aware of the micro-aggressions he’s allowed to slide in his work and personal life. The side characters are fabulous, organic, perfectly supporting this strange journey our narrator is on.

With dark humor, our narrator grapples with the past, the present, and the belief that his dead son is haunting him. In fact, the story is basically a one-sided conversation from father to son. The story slowly evolves, revealing what caused the son’s death and what secrets the plantation holds.

I rarely enjoy books about grief, but Devil Is Fine is not just about grief. It’s about coming to terms with our mistakes, our complicated pasts, and finding a way through to the other side. I highly recommend this one!

This is a truly beautifully written novel. Our narrator is a biracial professor who is dealing with the death of his teenage son when he learns he will inherit property from his white grandfather. A trip to view the property leads to the news the land was formerly a plantation and uncovers to a horrific finding. As his anxiety reaches a new level and he loses his sobriety, he begins to start seeing visions.
This story is told in the present as events are unfolding with the addition of private conversations with his deceased son and also as flashbacks of his childhood. I think this format worked really well. I really enjoyed the conversations with his son. The author had me tearing up several times.