'Devil Is Fine' by John Vercher is a multilayered novel that took some analysis on my part to fully understand the significance and the nuances of the story. The narrator is talking to his dead son and trying to resolve interpersonal conflicts dating back several generations. Quickly the conflict escalates and encompasses several more generations and the narrator's grip on reality seems to be slipping. I enjoy a straightforward story so the visions and 'Not' narrative wasn't my favorite but ultimately contributed to the story. I loved that the book I was reading showed up as a book in the story and I am left pondering the ending which caught me off guard. I like the fact that the cast of characters was small. The illustration on the dust jacket is perfect by the way. I give this book four stars as I had to put a bit of work in to immerse myself and enjoy it, but I ultimately did and will remember the premise and recommend it to others.

One of my favorite lines from the book: "I don't know how to weigh loss, but I do know how heavy it is."

This poignant novel is narrated (unnamed) by a man who is dealing with the death of his son and also struggling with his own identity. Throughout the story the narrator is either speaking as father to his son, or son to his own father, and often times addressing his son beyond the grave.

The protagonist is a biracial author and college professor whose tenure-track job is at risk because his latest book is not being accepted by publishers. He inherits a large piece of coastal property that was bequeathed to his son by his own estranged grandfather (his white mother's father), but because of his son's death, the property has been passed on to him.

During a visit to the newly acquired property, the protagonist learns that the land he inherited is actually a former plantation. It is here that much of the story takes place. The author and college professor who is grounded in reality sees reality unravel after falling of the wagon (has been sober for 17 years) and mixing anti-anxiety medication with alcohol. His delusions and hallucinations take him back in time to when his son was alive and even to when his great grandfather was alive. It is during this portion of the story that spirits visit the protagonist. I typically do not enjoy books with supernatural content, but Vercher's use of spirits was done so very well, that it contribute much to the protagonist's growth that I didn't mind it.

The story explores family legacy, grief, fatherhood, and race using the past, present, reality, and things imagined. It is ultimately a story about self-discover, healing, and confronting the past. I will never see a jellyfish the same!

"Devil Is Fine" by John Vercher is an absolutely extraordinary work of Literary Fiction. This just may be the best book I read this year. This achingly intimate portrait of a father reeling from the death of his son truly hit every mark for me. "Devil is Fine" is not a lighthearted read by any stretch of the imagination. It packs a serious punch and does not shy away from heavy subjects, especially after the biracial narrator learns he has inherited land with a dark past from the white side of his family. It is a deep dive into into the complexities of both the father-son relationship and the struggle with one's own identity, told through richly detailed, beautiful prose.

I will recommend this book to all of my reading friends. It will also make an excellent book club selection for a club that prefers serious, thought provoking reads. I do not often read a book twice, but this is a book I will definitely return to.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this exceptional book!

This is a very interesting read for me. The narrator takes several turns which if you’re not keeping up could be a little hard to follow. There’s present time, there’s flashbacks, there’s time where he’s speaking to his son, and then there’s the illusions that he has while he is goes back-and-forth in time? After a couple chapters, you start getting into the rhythm of the narrator stream of consciousness and it makes it easier to follow the story. Then it shifts a little because he starts seeing visions because he is mixing pills and alcohol and becomes a little delusional and then he sees clarity. It is very Meta that it’s a book within a book within a book. It’s very interesting take on this story I liked it however, I feel the blurb talked more about what he’s going to do now that he is the owner of this plantation, but there wasn’t enough focus on that part of the story. It was more about him and his mental health.

Writers much more talented than I am will leave, or have already left, reviews and analyses of Devil is Fine by author John Vercher and will explore in better detail than I can the hidden meanings and symbolism and historical references. But as “just” a reader I want to say how stunning this book was, how engrossing, how much it affected me. It is going to be very hard to top this as a favorite book of the year for me or maybe just a favorite book period. It’s that good. I had no idea what to expect when I received an advance copy of Devil is Fine from Celadon Books via NetGalley, and I must admit it started slowly for me. Not knowing what it was really about or where it was going, it seemed to jump all over the place. But I stuck with it and I am so glad I did. Author Vercher was not “jumping all over the place” but was in fact laying out the threads of the story that would be followed and explored and tugged and finally pulled together into an amazing conclusion.

For me one of the marks of a good writer is the ability to write about people, places, situations, experiences that aren’t what I’m used to, aren’t like me or my life, aren’t an easy reference for me to relate to, but that somehow magically make me feel the emotions of those characters that aren’t like me, feel surrounded by the places and events I haven’t experienced, cause me to fall into the story. John Vercher did just that.

The narrator is often a hard man to like, especially at the beginning of Devil is Fine. Even though he has just lost his teenage son when the story begins, you often don’t quite feel sorry for him or care if his life becomes better. Mostly you think he should get a clue, wake up, figure it out, be the adult. His ex-wife, the mother of their dead child, isn’t much more appealing. But keep reading because author Vercher just keeps adding so much depth, nuance, awkwardness, emotion, and enabling feelings so strong that you are nearly overwhelmed.

Flashbacks to times spent with his son throughout his son’s short life – more often than not disagreements or arguments as his son grew older – are illuminating and heartbreaking and made such an impact, as when his son pushed back yet again against his father’s overbearing demand that he accept religion and God. When his son said to him, “If I got to choose between your God and the devil, then the devil is fine,” it was not only a shuddery, tissue-worthy moment but also an eye-opener in the context of the story and history and what was happening all around them.

Devil is Fine is full of sorrow and regret and missed opportunity. And also full of hope and fine people. And just enough otherworldly mysticism to keep you riveted. It has so many angles that converge just right; it really should be required reading. Celadon Books publishes a highly curated small list of titles each year, and the staff selections never, ever disappoint. I am always anxious to read what is up next and thrilled and thankful to receive advanced copies as a Celadon Reader. Devil is Fine has my highest recommendation. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

This was a beautifully written book that follows a biracial author/professor who is grieving the death of his son. After his son’s funeral, he finds out that he has inherited some land which ends up being an old plantation.

The writing is so beautiful and lyrical. The descriptions were vivid, and I found myself being sucked into the story.

I really enjoyed the depth of the story and the discussions on race, grief, and family. However, there were some fun elements to this book - including lots of humour which made me laugh out loud. There was also some magical realism aspects which was honestly a little bit weird at times but also really added to the story!

Overall, its a beautiful story about healing, identity, and confronting the past. I would highly recommend this book if you are into literary fiction!

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Celadon Books and John Vercher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After the death of his son, the narrator find that he has come into possession of land that would have been his son’s, given by his white grandfather. In the surprising twist, the land is, of all things, a former plantation. Our narrator, being biracial is now left with the horrors of the history of this land, all while dealing with his own demons.

4/5 ⭐️

This book was… an experience. The writing style and voice very new to me. I found myself crying, laughing, being comforted, and feeling uneasy, all within a few pages. The commentary on loss and reclaiming, being broken and healing was powerful. After reading it, it took a little bit for me to real sort out what I felt about it. It is beautifully and weirdly written. I was taken through a journey I will not soon forget.

Read if you like:
⏳ Historical Fiction Vibes
🖤 Discussions on Race
😭 Grief
🥂 Alcoholism
✨ Magical Realism

This book is one that absolutely will make you immersed in the story telling and be hard to put down because of the style it was written with.

The book felt like a memoir and like I was sitting having a story told to me at a bar with friends all while delivering a fictional story with elements of magical realism that truly delve into the emotional and mental state of the main character further.

The way that race and racism in America was discussed truly laid out feelings that I have as a white woman in a way that was so much deeper and more involved than my own anger because of my lack of lived experiences to feel it deeper because I personally haven’t been effected by performative DEIA trends that have moved as being in trend to now being out of trend, this was further deepened by the use of the words “I can’t breathe” while our main character was being pinned down by the police in once scene, this one scene alone was so triggering and visceral and so important.

The discussion of being lost, not knowing who you are, all while struggling with depression, loss, anger, and addition were so well done and these heavy topics were covered with care, and truly the use of the imagery with the jellyfish further pushed these difficult conversations and topics home even harder for me as the reader.

If you are looking for your next read, you truly can’t go wrong with this book, especially with the timing of it’s publication being the day prior to Juneteenth on the 4th anniversary of being a recognized federal holiday in America.

Thank you so much to Celadon for my ARC and to Macmillan Audio for my ALC in exchange for my review. This is a book I’ve already recommended and will continue to think about for a while to come.

Devil is Fine
This very inventive novel tells the story of an unnamed mixed-race creative writing professor who is having problems selling his latest book, putting his tenure in jeopardy. He is also mourning the death of his only son. To his surprise, he inherits a former plantation from the white side of his family, and travels to put the property on the market.

The professor has a host of issues. He has never really dealt with the death of his son. Being half Black and half white, he struggles with being neither race. His ex-wife, the mother of his son, is Black, so his son is darker than he is, causing problems in their relationship. Then there’s his caustic attitude, which causes him to constantly shoot himself in the foot with people who try to help him.

On top of that, he suffers from mysterious psychological incidents that may be hallucinations, or ghostly visitations, or dreams, or just plain craziness. These incidents are told in the present tense, while the rest of the novel is past tense. The reader is deliberately confused by them, creating an odd mixture of fantasy/magic and realism.

I enjoyed this book a lot, even though there were parts that I felt were a bit over the top and/or over-written. I admired the author’s skill in discussing the very tricky issues of being biracial, even while I wished that the character wasn’t so much of a downer all the time. The plot kept me turning pages quickly, as I was eager to see how the magical realism aspects would play out. And I desperately wanted the protagonist to reconcile with his dead son, the person he speaks most of the novel to, as a sort of act of redemption.

Book clubs would enjoy unraveling the many themes presented in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy of this book.

Happy release day to @jverchwrites ! Check out our ARC review below! A big thanks to the author, @netgalley and @celadonbooks for a copy of this ARC.

Opening in a funeral procession for the narrator’s teenage son, Devil is Fine becomes a letter to the deceased; a father explaining the bizarre and supernatural occurrences that begin to happen after the boy’s death occurs and a strange inheritance is revealed.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Spice: 🌶️ 0/5

Tropes:
Troubled protagonist
Small town
Family drama
Coming of age

Triggers:
Death of a child

My Thoughts:
Devil is Fine cleverly subverts magic realism, horror and thriller all at once to create a thoughtful exploration of identity, race, middle-age, and fatherhood and the ways those things can both save and destroy a person.

#ournerdiestthing #devilisfine #johnvercher #arcreview #arcreviewer #magicrealism #horrorbooks #historicalfiction

I’m struggling with just how to describe this phenomenal book. Devil Is Fine is far more than just fine. Featuring lyrical prose, incredibly timely themes, and a sympathetic narrator, I was moved from the first page to the last as I read this indescribable book.

Our narrator is a grieving father who’s just lost his only son. He’s also a biracial man who finds out he’s inherited a plantation. Either of these two themes would have made for an excellent story, but together they weave an even more complex tale. Add in an additional element of magical realism and wow. This last at first blush seemed almost absurd in this context, but it became much more compelling if also perplexing as the story progressed. It worked like a sort of poetry, pulling together the difficult personal and social issues this story explored so exquisitely.

Thank you John Vercher, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

"If I got to choose between your God and the devil, then the devil is fine"

I mean with a quote like that I had high expectations for this book. While overall I enjoyed the heart wrenching story of a father, grieving for the son he lost and the twist of an african american man becoming a plantation owner. The majority of the story was told from the main character's inner dialogue so I'm not sure if that's why, at times, it was very confusing on what was going on. I also did not expect it to have some paranormal elements so "I think that threw me and it felt a bit overdone at times.

Overall not a bad read but a bit too confusing for it to be a 5 start read. Thank you to Netgalley and to publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

since I finished reading it, i haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book. i cannot recommend it enough! the writing is gorgeous and delivers a powerful message. with a mix of dark humor, this story is raw and gripping. it delves into themes of grief, parenthood, and the perspective of a biracial father who is also a writer.

how this author broke my heart in one chapter and then had me cackling in the next is truly a talent. vercher puts these hard topics on the forefront and tackles them seamlessly. through the pages, the narrator’s voice had me thinking about my life, parenting choices, our nation’s history, and the significance of who should be telling these stories. i could go on and on–i annotated this book because there’s so much to unpack.

the horror and magical realism elements left me bewildered, uttering “wtf” numerous times. the ending truly shattered my heart, and it had me rereading the ending to make sure i read it right. and i think i understand? vercher if you can tell me i would appreciate it because it kept me up at night well after finishing it. 😭

would i recommend it? yes, yes, yes! if you are okay with not knowing what the hell is going on (and if makes you feel better, our narrator doesn’t know either lol) and you want something to make you sad, angry, cry, and even make you laugh then you must pick this one up.

This novel had me hooked from the start, it was haunting on every level. The slow burn terror of the narrator’s paranormal experiences combined with the true horror of the past he is unwittingly tied to left me frantically turning the pages to keep reading. The writing is excellent, the narrator is complicated beyond belief, and the story is deeply engaging. Not only is this a captivating look at the complicated ways that grief manifests, it’s also a terrifying reflection on the very real history that is quite literally still surrounding Americans. I was a huge fan and will absolutely be recommending this to everyone I can. I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @Celadon and @jverchwrites for my free copy, and @goodreads for the giveaway win!💖.

✨What it is about :
A biracial man, grieving the loss of his son finds out he’s inherited an old piece of land from his white grandfather. He goes to claim the property, with the intention of selling the land immediately and moving on. But upon inspection, he finds out he is now the Black owner of a former plantation passed down by the men on his white mother’s side of the family.✨

💭My thoughts :
This is a thought provoking read that had me feeling all the things. It was just heartbreaking, uncomfortable, and devastating even, BUT at the same time so moving and clever.This story is a mix of literary fiction, mystery, and magical realism. At times,I could not differentiate what was real and what wasn’t, but the heavy topics were approached in a very unique way,and I liked that. The father’s need to find connection,his feelings of inadequacy,his identity issues, as well as feeling a failure, were evident throughout. As a parent,I felt a lot with this story, and though this is a book that’s very different than what I usually read, it’s definitely a good one!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
🪼Literary fiction
🪼Character driven stories
🪼Complex father & son relationships
🪼Magical realism
🪼Slow paced stories with vivid descriptions
🪼Grief, tragedy and humor

⚠️CW: Loss of a child, alcoholism, grief, issues of race/racism.

Devil is fine was a really surprising and moving story about identity. The way this story comes together is entirely unpredictable and gripping. Beyond that, the way that the story is written to "you" really continued to draw me in.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Devil Is Fine by John Vercher was a magical and wonderful story.
I thought it was wonderfully written and the characters are really engaging.
The writing was perceptive and intelligent.
I enjoyed this story from start to finish.

Thank You NetGalley and Celadon Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

2 Stars - I don't know I just didn't like it to be honest.

Devil Is Fine by John Vercher follows a biracial man who talks conversationally with his recently deceased teenage son with whom he had a difficult relationship with. Through these conversations, he seems to be losing himself to hallucinations, panic attacks, and sleep paralysis - not to mention he broke his years long sobriety and seemingly resorted to mixing medication with alcohol. If that wasn't enough? He inherits a plantation.

This had so much potential but the casual writing style made it hard to follow at times. The flashbacks were even more so difficult to understand, I wasn't sure who or where we even were in them. The main character is also insufferable, no wonder his "woke" teenage son didn't enjoy his company. It was hard to feel bad for the MMC when all I could think about was how his son deserved better but it was too late..which I think is maybe part of the point? But honestly, I couldn't tell you the point of this book.

I think I would have enjoyed this so much more if we spent more time in the subplots (jellyfish significance, maybe therapy for self-absorbed narcissistic men who desperately need it, difficult familial relationships AND RECOGNIZING THEM, inheriting a plantation as a biracial man in a town that wants no recognition of such thing, etc. Instead we spent way too much time in this man's subconscious.

At then end he turns into a jellyfish or he unalives himself, I am not sure which.

Thank you to the NetGalley team for the Advance Readers Copy!

Clarence is reeling from a heartbreaking tragedy when he learns he has become the owner of a plantation from his white grandfather. As a biracial man, this sudden knowledge into his family’s past is unthinkable.
While dealing with the horror of this news, leaders are trying to take bodies from the plantation and place them in a museum for “educational purposes.” He fights to leave the land as it is for their final resting places.
As this is occurring, Clarence experiences “visitations” from beyond and he also feels as if he is turning into a jellyfish. Is this madness or ghosts?
While learning about the plantation and Clarence’s past, it’s easy to wonder about his mental stability. Clarence was not an easy character to like but he became different as the story progressed.
While this story wasn’t for me, I enjoyed the history of the plantation and his fight for what he believed to be right. I recommend this to those that love historical fiction but also unreliable characters.
Thank you to @celadonbooks for the copy. This book releases June 18, 2024.

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

What a fantastic read. Heartbreaking in so many ways but so good. It was unique. I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this. I love stories that are meta.
This was so raw. It was beautiful in the way it was honest with emotions.
I loved that most of this book was written like the narrator was speaking to his son. The grief and the guilt felt so real.
This will probably be one of my favorite reads of the year. It was pretty perfect.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲𝗱.