Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Devil is Fine by John Vercher. This is the story of a biracial man who’s teenage son has recently died. He is grieving and finding it hard to move on. He learns that his estranged white grandfather has left property to his son, which now belongs to him. No one in the family knew anything about it It is in a resort area, and turns out to be a former plantation, with a bad history. There are some interesting racial and cultural issues brought up here. But there is also a lot of magical realism, which unfortunately made it hard for me to get into the rest of the book. Overall not a win for me, although I did like some of it. #thedevilisfine #johnvercher #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram

Devil is Fine was an absolutely beautifully written book. The narrator, for whom we never get a name, is struggling through the recent death of his teenage son. He takes the reader through his grief, his family history, and his struggle to find himself. I found myself immersed in this read. The voice of the narrator was so strong. The journey of the narrator was filled with twists and turns, just like real life. The characters were flawed and came to life on the page. I found myself questioning things, laughing at points, and deeply moved at other times. This was my first book by Vercher, but it definitely will not be my last.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Wow! I liked this one, but it took me a few days after I finished it to write the review. This book dives deep into the complicated roots of America with race. Our main character is a biracial man who inherited his white grandfather's plantation, which has a dark history and is full of secrets.
This book is thought-provoking and dives deep into the perplexing relationships between men and their fathers. I enjoyed the eerie mysterious tone that always kept me on my toes about what would happen next. I also enjoyed the domino effect as it showed in the story about how stuff that happens in our ancestry lines follows and affects the next generations. This author wrote this story beautifully, and I loved the magical realism in the book it added an extra layer to the story. The whole jellyfish aspect was different but it was a good different! Very thought-provoking, and while this undeniably wasn't the story I was expecting it was beautifully written and covered many different aspects connected smoothly! Undeniably one of the best, gripping novels I've read this year!
Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the captivating experience of reading and reviewing this novel!

This is a beautifully written meditation on grief and loss. We have an unnamed MC, sensitive topics, and realistic and sometimes witty dialogue. Loved the vibe and the more I think about it, the ambiguous ending.

This book is one that stay with you long after you close the covers. The story lingers and leaves you reflecting, considering, and pondering not just the characters but power of legacy, family, and personal identity. Blend in some compelling Magical Realism to take the tension and mystery up another notch and any reader will be left affected by the original and haunting book that still intrigues me. I was particularly drawn in by the conflict that was eloquently included iand kept drawing me deeper.

How will the cover connect to the larger narrative and story? Will the duality of the cover, deep ocean with the jellyfish vs and the land with the loose dirt act clues to the larger mystery or will they be metaphors that I should consider part of the novel's argument? Will the narrator be the rich black soil that was the foundation for cotton and slavery or the ownership of the land that was the plantation owner? Jellyfish are beautiful to look at but deadly in their element, yet take them out of that specific world and they almost dissolve in the fragility? There is so much that connects me and which draws me in and resonates to makes me feel uncertain and uncomfortable, something to be embraced and which challenged me to investigate and discover how all these contradictions and pieces work together which this author excelles at.

This is a book you do not simply read, but one that you explore!

John Vercher crafts a compelling narrative that deftly intertwines themes of family, faith, and the supernatural. With a prose style that oscillates between darkly humorous and poignantly introspective, Vercher invites readers into a world where the ordinary collides with the extraordinary. The characters, vividly drawn and richly complex, reflect the chaotic tapestry of modern life, reminiscent of a contemporary Dantean journey through familial hells. While the ambition of the narrative sometimes leads to occasional narrative missteps, Vercher’s ability to balance existential inquiry with a wry wit ensures that the novel resonates. It's a thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page—definitely not your average family saga.

I found this book to be very layered. I liked that it had a touch of magical realism in it. The themes were important and impactful.

I wish I had known a little less going into it, however. I feel like the fact that our main character inherits a plantation would be more shocking if it wasn’t included in the synopsis. I did think the fact that it was the death of his son wasn’t revealed until later was really hit the reader hard. I wasn’t expecting that at all!

Although I enjoyed this and would recommend, I would advise the reader to go into it knowing as little as possible and to stick with it even when it feels a bit slow paced.

The Devil is Fine by John Vercher tells the story of a biracial Black professor dealing with the death of his son and the emotional challenges that follow. He then inherits a plantation from his estranged white grandfather, which leads to disturbing discoveries, including bodies buried on the land. As he tries to understand his family’s painful past and his own identity, he becomes haunted by ghosts from the past.

The novel uses elements of magical realism, like the professor believing he's turning into a jellyfish, to explore his mental state. While the story is powerful, I struggled with it because the elements of grief and loss were too emotional for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was so creepy weird but I liked it! I didn't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't the story I read. It was enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a speculative novel set-in contemporary America about a biracial author struggling with the recent passing of his teenage son due to a car accident.

The unnamed narrator is so well fleshed out I didn’t even notice he remained nameless for the entire narrative. Following the death of his son, the narrator finds out he has inherited a property in a small town hiding more than few terrible secrets from American history. Struggling with his sobriety, the narrator also experiences nightmares, including ones where he turns into a jellyfish, despite (or perhaps because of) his long standing fear of the sea.

Interwoven with poignant discussions of current events, identity, grief, race, and friendship, Vercher tells a serious and important tale that is highlighted by a streak of dark humor. I look forward to seeing what he writes next.

This starts out as a story about a father grieving the death of his son, then turns into a fever dream. We don’t know what’s happening with our MC, what’s real and what he’s imagining.

One of my biggest problems was that I didn’t find the MC likable at all.

The major event given in the synopsis doesn’t actually happen until about a third of the way into the book, which bugged me. I hate knowing something important is going to happen, then waiting while the story builds toward it.

We have LOTS of flashback scenes, both concerning the father’s relationship with the son and the MC’s childhood, as well as the odd fever dream scenes. I felt like the story never settled, or maybe I never settled into the story.

What a dark, strange little book...but so entertaining and thought-provoking. I listened to the audiobook - which did lead to a bit of confusion over what was real, vs those elements of magical realism...but I also think that added to the chaotic and inherently confusing nature of the novel.

Overall, this book touched on so many issues: fatherhood; identity; generational trauma; plantations and how they are used in the modern world; abuse issues; and so much more. This story was so odd - but in the best way and in a way that forces the reader to stop and think.

It also didn't feel as slow moving as most literary fiction, which I did appreciate - it still felt like there was forward momentum, on top of our characters internal monologue and development - rather than feeling like you are sacrificing one for the other.

Overall, a fantastic read.

This book is so good. It's weird and dark and a bit meta and doing so much. It's about grief and complex relationships, about racism in its history and its present, and about our main character's struggle to live into himself authentically. You have to be okay with some surreal elements, but I think it's also very approachable and just tells a good story. A top 10 of the year for me, likely.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

My first John Vercher novel, and it was impressive.
I love poetic and lyrical writing, and this book had that in spades. It was achingly beautiful and the topics of grief and racism that he tackles made me ache with the pain of the subjects too.
The narrator is excellent too, and embodies the emotion throughout.

Devil Is Fine is a book you will want to read. It has dark humor, a blend of characters and a narrative that locks you in a chokehold. With a twist of reality and imagination, it was hard to put the book down even in the late hours of the evening. Let's also give credit to a very symbolic book cover!

Devil is Fine is a powerful and profound exploration of grief, fatherhood, identity, legacy, justice, addiction and intergenerational trauma. The story opens with our unnamed narrator grieving the sudden death of his son Malcolm. The narrator is a biracial author and college teacher, the son of a white mother and Black father.
Shortly after the funeral, he receives a letter from an attorney notifying him that Malcolm has inherited beachfront property from his white great-grandfather. As his son's next of kin, this property now falls to him. Estranged from his grandfather, this news comes as a surprise. He travels to the beach town with the intent to view and sell the property. Subsequently, a routine survey reveals the shocking finding that the land was a plantation. He descends into a kind of fever dream, grappling with his grief and the horrors of the plantation, reality blurring with the fantasy elements.
Devil is Fine is a beautifully written, thought provoking, heartbreaking and, at times, darkly comic, story. It will stay with me for a long time.
Thank you to Celadon Books for an ARC to review.

Excellent writing but the story did not draw me in personally. Thank you though, for sending me a copy to read and review.

✴️DEVIL IS FINE by @jverchwrites✴️

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers @celadonbooks and @macmillanaudio for the audio and e-ARCs and the physical ARC.

"When it's that easy to lie to yourself, lying to someone else is light work."

This story interchanges between a father nebulously talking to his dead son and then the father living through his day to day life. After the recent death of his son, our biracial narrator receives a letter from an attorney stating that his son was meant to inherit from his white mother's side of the family. When he arrives at the land in hopes of quickly selling it, the complicated nature of being a half-black man that owns a historical plantation requires him to wrestle with history, inheritance and legacy.

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I ended up listening to the audio to this one and the narrator, Dion Graham was fantastic so I was pretty pleased with my choice. I loved his voice, his superb reading rhythm and inflection that made the story almost lyrical.

This one kinda reminded me of THE GOOD HOUSE by Tananarive Due in terms of the grief of a lost child anchored in place and memory. The atmosphere of both books is one of a delirious nightmare or a deeply disturbing reality both of which seem to exist at once. This book had all the feels and I was often laughing right before feeling broken down as the pendulum of emotions that goes along with this kind of revelation rolled on.

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Devil is Fine by John Vercher left me with a lot to think about. The story blends themes of grief, identity, and legacy as the protagonist, after losing his sons, inherits a plantation that his white ancestors once owned. It’s a complex exploration of his emotional turmoil as he faces the haunting history of the property.

I gave this book 3 stars because, while I appreciated the way it tackled difficult subjects, parts of the narrative didn’t engage me as much as I had hoped. The heavy tone of grief was well-done, but I found some moments a bit drawn out. That being said, the exploration of racial identity and historical reckoning was compelling.

I think the unique premise and the character’s inner journey are strong elements, but overall, I was expecting a deeper connection to the characters. If you're looking for a thought-provoking read, this one definitely makes you think about history's long shadows.