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.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the copy of Devil Is Fine by John Vercher. This is a very emotional story about being biracial and the casual microaggressions felt real, as did how our unnamed narrator dealt with them. I liked how we learned about his relationship with his son through their past conversations. I’m not sure how I felt about his hallucinations/supernatural experiences/delusions or whatever they were but I think it all became clear at the end. This is a beautifully written book weaving identity, loss, and grief with a story about ancestral trauma. The characters came alive on the page and pointed out the power of community and relationships. While it wasn’t always an easy read, it was worth taking the time to really savor it and then reflect on what it really meant.

This book wasn’t for me, the monologue had me questioning the whole time “what was the point of the story other than him grieving a loss?”

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a very unique book, which I truly enjoyed! I love reading new authors, especially when the plot line is such a unique one. This book is very heart wrenching and deep. The story line was intense and I really enjoyed it. I also have been on a magical realism kick, and this one did not disappoint. I will be reading more by this author in the future!

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.