J.C. Burke is known for confronting storytelling, and Pig Boy is no exception. It is devastating, but not in the way one would expect, given our initial impressionsof the characters. Damon is a typical outcast, overweight, unhappy, and too smart for his small-minded classmates. He retreats into a world of violent online games, writing his lists and following his plan. The natural assumption would be that this is one of those books about a high school shooting that relies on violence to shock its readers.

What makes this book so affecting is the depth with which Burke explores the characters of Damon, his mother, and the Pigman. By reviving such well-known stereotypes, Burke takes the readeron a journey in which characters we think we know so well manage to shock us. It is the beautifully written moments of tenderness that convey a real sense of the darkness – not only in Damon, but in the whole town.

Although Pig Boy can be violent and very confronting, its rewards are considerable. J.C. Burke’s novel is refreshingly bracing and insightful.

CONTENTS: JULY–AUGUST 2011