Pig Boy

by J.C. Burke

On Damon Styles's eighteenth birthday, he is expelled from school. But it's what happens afterwards that changes everything.

Now Damon must come up with a plan. It's the only way he can think straight. First, get his firearms licence. Then, see if the Pigman will give him a job - pig hunting will teach Damon what he needs to know. And he’d better get a lock for his wardrobe so his mother won't find what he's hiding.

Damon’s taking matters into his own hands - but so is the town of Strathven.

A confronting, powerful story for young adults in the vein of J.C. Burke’s CBCA award-winner THE STORY OF TOM BRENNAN.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Australia

478 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2011

About the author

http:/www.facebook.com/pages/JC-Burke/20821...
.J.C Burke was born in Sydney in 1965, the fourth of five sisters. With writers for parents, she grew up in a world of noise, drama and books, but she decided to become a nurse after her mother lost a long battle with cancer. Since Burke started writing in 1999, she has published a number of acclaimed books for teenagers and young adults, including Children's Book Council Notable Books WHITE LIES and THE RED CARDIGAN, Aurealis Awards finalist NINE LETTERS LONG, THE STORY OF TOM BRENNAN, FAKING SWEET, STARFISH SISTERS and OCEAN PEARL. THE STORY OF TOM BRENNAN won the 2006 CBC Book of the Year - Older Readers and the 2006 Australian Family Therapists Award for Children's Literature. It is currently on the NSW HSC syllabus list.PIG BOY is Jane's newest title and was released in May 2011.
Jane lives on Sydney.

http:/www.facebook.com/pages/JC-Burke/20821...

Reviews

[Pam Saunders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damon is bullied at school but he is also aggressive and not a very pleasant boy. Bright but lacking self esteem he escapes from his insular small town to his room, making lists and playing violent computer games. Likewise his mother has retreated to the house living in front of the tv and eating junk food.

At 18 he is expelled from school and Damon finds work with the 'pig man', an isolated character who has his own violent past. The pig man is just that, a man who hunts wild pigs. Damon joins him learning far more than just the skills of hunting.

This is a complex story which I would highly recommend for teenage boys.

(If you are really keen the author has some graphic pic's of pig hunting on her website too)

[Marj Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely powerful difficult story written really really well. It's very clever in the way it shows the reader how initial and cursory perceptions of situations can be completely flawed.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: on Damon Styles's 18th birthday, he was expelled from school. He developed a plan. First he needed his firearm licence.

[Feldy]

I chose this book because I am fascinated by Australian Literature. I have studied some literature relating to the bush, its past and have camped in the bush on several occasions. The reason I have chosen this book is because I have never read a novel based on modern Australia. I am expecting this book to be interesting and exciting after having read reviews about it in the past. I have read the blurb and believe there will be many unexpected events as it explains that Damon,the protagonist, has a plan that he has devised which will cause him many problems in the future. I believe that there will be many situations that I may be able to empathise with as a result of my many experiences in country towns. So that is why I am keen to read the novel Pig boy by J.C. Burke.

The Pig Boy was written in a very sophisticated way, which some people may like but I did not enjoy. Burke kept changing the storyline and with it the people speaking and I found this very confusing, for example, Burke kept changing from Damon talking to himself, then suddenly the author, Burke, continuing on with the story. In my opinion Damon must have had a tormented and depressing childhood, which caused him to be always angry and talking to himself. His friend Moe was a very unusual character. Even though they were friends Moe would always laugh at Damon. The character I most enjoyed was Miro, or as he was known, “the Pig Man”. He is the only highlight of the novel for me. I can never predict what he is going to do. He was a very smart man, he had learnt from the past and he gave Damon good advice as a result of his prior experiences. To me, the storyline is all over the place; it doesn’t run smoothly. There were many times that I had to reread passages so they could make sense to me. At the moment this novel is very average, but I am looking forward to seeing what happens at the end.

I had high expectations, for this book, but I was defiantly let down. It didn’t portray anything about Australia and was very confusing. What was confusing in this book is that it went from Damon speaking and to the author’s narration. To me the story didn’t flow and I couldn’t connect to the book. I was disappointed as I expected it to be about a boy’s adventure through life whilst also acknowledging it being in Australia. But it wasn’t like that at all. In my paragraph on why I chose this book I thought that the book would have many “twists to it” but it ended up being exceptionally boring. The secret plan which I thought would be the highlight of the novel was dull and boring. To me the book just did not flow. It just didn’t read smoothly to me. So in that aspect I disliked the book. I also picked this book up because it was in the Australian section of our library. I thought that there would be many more connections I could make to the book about Australia because I am from there. If I didn’t pick it up in that certain area I wouldn’t have known if it was about Australia or not. There was something I liked. It was the pig man. I believed he added humour into the story and a bit of a twist. Over all this book confused me and it wasn’t as exciting as I thought. But I do understand why people like this book.

[🩰mariposa🦋 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally I really liked it, the main character has issues, but that’s just how it is. He’s bullied and feels separated from everyone else. It isn’t that surprising that he’s very angry.

[Sheenah Freitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is dark and gritty. I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on with Damon because at first, he explained things in a choppy manner. You only got bits and pieces of his paranoia. In the beginning of the book I hated him. I thought he was a terrible person who wanted nothing more than revenge. But I read on, partly because I wanted to know where the author was going with this and partly because this is a boy’s book.

About half way through the book, things began to pick up at a tremendous pace. Secrets were being revealed and little by little, you got to know the truth of the entire plot. Damon, as much as I wanted to hate him, was the victim of bullying. This novel is honest and confusing at first, but everything gets ironed out at the end where he becomes a likable character. I mean, sure, there are things about Damon that I myself don’t care for, but he really isn’t as bad as I had initially thought he was.

By the end of the book, I had mixed feelings about everything. As the outcast, he’s hated by everyone in the community and it’s not just him being bullied at school. It’s everyone bullying him and his mother just because he’s a bit different. But the writing is superb and gripping and wonderfully raw.

It’s a very mature novel with excessive cussing (which I didn’t care for, either) and sexual innuendos, but probably nothing that the average high schooler hasn’t heard before. Still, I think this is more suitable for teens 16+.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damon Styles is an angry kid - he turns 18 and the same day he gets expelled from school. All through school he has been bullied for being a loner and being overweight. He makes lists of people he hates and that he wants to see dies. In the beginning of the book, you get hints that he has something hidden in his wardrobe - possible a gun of some sort. The author sets up the book so that you think Damon is planning some type of revenge - possibly a school shooting of some sort. Then as the book develops, you discover the real reasons behind Damon's actions. He befriends a man - nicknamed the Pigman - because he hunts pigs. Finally having a real friend helps Damon come to grips with his demons a bit. The book ends without really tying up anything but you get the feeling that Damon will end up all right. I have to say it takes a while for the reader to like Damon and even when you know some of the reasons behind his actions, I still felt like he was quite a jerk to his mom at times (who he lives with). You sympathize with him a bit for sure because of what he went through - the bullying, etc. I wish the book has tied up a few more ends at the end of the book.

I received this copy free from one of the Goocreads giveaways.

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this from Goodreads. This was not exactly how I expected it would be. Starting this novel, for me, was very hard to do. Don't get me wrong, I like dark and twisted thinking, but this book started out even darker and more twisted than my personal taste allows. Even though it was a rough start, I will tell you that it's not what you would expect. Don't give up just yet! This is a coming of age novel about Damon, who gets kicked out of school for his anger, on his 18th birthday, no less. He goes home and gets even more depressed as he wallows in his anger, until something happens. He finds out from his friend Moe that the Pigman has a job opening. Everyone is afraid of the Pigman and Damon thinks that if he gets to work for Mr. Pigman, he will become braver AND learn how to shoot guns. What he doesn't expect is the friendship that develops between them and how much the Pigman and Damon help each other in the process. I do recommend this book, but with a strong warning that it is not for younger teens. Amazing turn of events and even more amazing is the way the novel turns from dark and destitute to one of unexpected kindness. Kudos to you Burke!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a little slow moving to begin with, this book embraces what it is like to be the boy who is picked on and yet the prime subject of prejudice from everyone, including the teachers. Not only is Damon harassed by other students, but the adults have him pegged for being a behavior problem and a threat to society. In the beginning, I also believed that Damon could very well be a danger but the more the book moves along the more you find out about Damon. He goes to work for the Pig Man who is also seen as a danger to society and Damon is afraid of him as much as anyone. But they soon build a friendship which can only grow by sharing their secrets with each other. This is great book about two outsiders finding comfort with one another as no one else can provide for them. Good book! I would suggest this for readers 14 and up due to language and some violent scenes.

[Komal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this novel because the title was intriguing.
My favourite character in the novel was Miro or "Pig Man" as he is known by. He is a wise man and gives good advice to Damon through out the novel. His past made him a better person and he is underestimated and judged by everyone. People give him a bad name but he's actually a good person if you get to know him which Damon discovered.
"When i'm with him I feel like I want to live in the world not just drift in the space between" This is my favourite quote from the novel because it is what Damon said about Miro and he didn't mean it in a sexual or romantic way, he said it as he meant it and thats why i like it because it shows how Miro gave him hope and lifted him from a dark place.
This book made me think deeply about the relationships we make and choose and grow. If you don't nurture them properly they will fall.

[Reesa · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book was interesting, but I just couldn't get into it. The main character's viewpoint was just so...slimy? unlikable? I'm not sure how to phrase it, but trying to see things from his perspective made me feel dirty inside. I wanted to empathize with him and understand where he was coming from, but I just couldn't stomach it. A blogger I follow coined the term "unlikeable people making unfortunate choices" to describe a genre of tv show that seems to be on the rise, and I found "Pig Boy" to fall squarely within that description. I wish I could find something nicer to say about the book, but I'm afraid it just wasn't to my tastes.

I received my copy of this book for free through the First Reads program.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beware: SPOILERS!


This is very much not what I was expecting. I thought Damon was going to go on a killing spree or was going to whisk his mum off someplace new. I expected him to get revenge on all the people who dragged him through Hell.

AND

he did; he killed his demons and got revenge by finding his own solace with Miro 'The Pigman'.Both outsiders with plenty of skeletons in their closets, they were thrust together for all the wrong reasons but stayed together for all the right reasons. Finally Damon found his connection.

[Guy Salvidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This won the Ned Kelly Award last year, hence my interest. It's a young adult novel featuring a dropout with anger management issues (and an AK 47 in his cupboard), his overweight and depressed mother, and a Serbian dude (The Pigman) who is a veteran of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. I read this in one day, so it's very readable. I thought that the relationship between the protagonist and Miro (the Serbian) was the highlight of the book. The crime aspect is perhaps a little weak, and the book ends a tad early (in my opinion) but otherwise this is impressive fare throughout.

[David Edgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never had a book involve me in the way that Pig Boy involved me.
Until 2/3 of the way through the book I was a reader. An avid one, but merely a reader.
Then I became a character in the story. I could feel the transition. I had become one of the key players but I wasn't sure which character I was.
Finishing the book, wiping tears from my eyes, I still didn't know. But I hoped. I hoped to be the Pig Man — for my children, at least.

A gripping and challenging read.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book never really captured my attention. Violent at times, I found eighteen year-old, Damon Styles an obnoxious protagonist. Angry, rude, surly and with a huge chip on his shoulder, his only redeeming quality is his kindness to animals. However, I did find the Pigman an interesting character. Struggling with memories of war it is the Pigman who has a beneficial influence on Damon. This will probably appeal to boys but I really struggled to reach the end of this book.

[Christine Bongers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A confronting and compelling read that confounds your expectations. An unlikeable outsider becomes the boy most likely to commit a Columbine-style massacre when he is expelled after being bullied at school. He teams up with a Bosnian pig shooter so that he can learn to shoot. But the Wake in Fright elements mask author JC Brennan's real and more subtle intentions. Impressive story telling.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I didn't actually finish this. Not because it was boring or badly written of anything. Actually, I was really enjoying it. The truth is I get restless when I take too long to read a book and I'd been reading this for almost a week and I wasn't even halfway through so I needed to move on.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pig Boy is a rather confronting book about a boy who is being bullied at school and by people in the country town he lives, but is not a character you instantly warm to. He makes friends with the 'Pigman' who is also a loner and is a pig shooter. An interesting was of showing how appearances are not always as they seem.

[R.J. Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC won from Goodreads Firstreads

PIG BOY by J.C. Burke is a wonderful read that will keep you asking, “What on earth is going to happen next?!”

For a more In-depth review, Visit my blog RJ does Books

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damon is a troubled young man. Obese, anti-social, and addicted to video games, he is kicked out of school. He has a two fold plan: get even with his enemies, and get a gun license so he can work for a feral hog hunter. Free copy for review purposes.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is So good. looking forward to seeing Jane Bourke at 'Reading Matters' later this week.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

***RECEIVED THIS BOOK THROUGH GOODREADS GIVEAWAY***

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a quick, interesting read that always had me turning to the next page. Great story! Thank you!

[Sarah]

Just finished at the Reading Matters Conference in Melbourne. This book seems interesting, not something I would usually read.

[Vår Ane · Rating 3 out of 5]

not what i expected...

[Michelle Mulkern · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way it was written was a little confusing to me but overall I really liked it.

[The Bookshop Umina]

A confronting and compelling read. This goes in to dark territory but is well written and realistic. Definitely for 15+.

[Chi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a read. Loved the different twists and turns.

[Joh · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.johblogs.com/2012/10/pig-b...

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book tedious, disgusting and frustrating. Damon puts himself into troubles and then panics and distresses over it. Wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.