Martyn Pig

by Kevin Brooks

A riveting and darkly humorous accidental "murder" mystery.

Meet Martyn Pig, a boy with a terrible name, trapped in a terrible life. His mother has left him. His father is a belligerent, abusive alcoholic. It seems like his life can't get any worse.
And then it does.
Faced with the sudden, accidental death of his father, Martyn realizes that for the first time ever, he has a choice. He can tell the police what happened -- or he can get rid of the body and go on with the rest of his life. Deciding on the latter, Martyn and his pretty new neighbor come up with a seemingly foolproof plan. Then, just as Martyn begins to think his life is finally under control, a twisted turn of events leaves him stunned beyond belief.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, School, Realistic Fiction, Thriller

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2002

About the author

Kevin Brooks was born in 1959 and grew up in Exeter, Devon, England. He studied Psychology and Philosophy at Birmingham, Aston University in 1980 and Cultural Studies in London in 1983. Kevin Brooks has been in a variety of jobs including: musician, gasoline station attendant, crematorium handyman, civil service clerk, hot dog vendor at the London Zoo, post office clerk, and railway ticket office clerk.

Kevin Brooks's writing career started with the publication of Martyn Pig in 2002 through The Chicken House which won the Branford Boase Award 2003 and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. He also wrote Lucas (2002) which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and Booktrust Teenage Prize in 2003 also winning the North East Book Award in 2004.

In 2004 he published Kissing the Rain and Bloodline and I See You, Baby and Candy in 2005. In 2006 he published 3 books including: Johnny Delgado Series - Like Father, Like Son and Private Detective as well as The Road of the Dead; a standalone novel. In February 2008 he published the standalone book Black Rabbit Summer.

As a child, Kevin Brooks enjoyed reading detective novels. He writes most plots of the various books he has written around crime fiction. He likes mystery and suspence and enjoys putting both of those components into each and every story he writes in some shape or form.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Brooks! How does your mind work?

That question remains, even though I am not as shell shocked as after reading The Bunker Diary, and felt the strong urge to try something else by Brooks. Martyn Pig conveniently fell into my hands.

Well, it doesn't leave me raving in the same way. It is a good teenage book about mystery, guilt, and growing up, but where The Bunker Diary showed a complete micro cosmos of a brutal world, Martyn Pig just plays on bizarre choices and strange turns.

It is very well-written, though, and some scenes are hilarious, so I'd say it is a worthwhile read.
The most interesting thought expressed at several points in the story is the philosophical question of what is right and what is wrong. The teenage characters agree that as long as you don't hurt anybody, what you yourself think is right can't be wrong - as long as you don't get caught! Probably one of the oldest teenage mantras in the world, - and it leaves the adult reader with the question: how do you decide what is hurtful to others and what not? Disposing of the dead body of your father, blackmailing your girlfriend, stealing from a younger, vulnerable friend, is that all right if you don't get caught?

And caught by WHOM? Obviously the teenagers get caught by each other, so the question of right and wrong is only valid if you apply it to the established order of the adult world (parents, relatives, police, social services).

A strange book indeed, that leaves you thinking about the values we take for granted. I find it rather brutal as a teenage story, but then again, as I learned in Gaiman's perfect reflection on childhood fears, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, children live their own secret lives that they carefully hide from their parents not to hurt or scare them!

Scary thought!

[Cecily]

WHAT THE HELL!

I had to read this book for school! FOR SCHOOL

School: school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers.

So why the hell are they teaching me that MURDER is NOT something BAD if you don't get caught?! WHAT THE HELL SERIOUSLY!!

I mean many books are not the best influence but for someone to write a book for TEENS and show them how other TEENS of their same age murder other people in cold blood and have no regrets at all because OF MONEY is a little disturbing! They shouldn't have published this book AT ALL! They should have thrown the author in a madhouse!

What kind of lesson are you giving the youth?! SERIOUSLY KEVIN BROOKS WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! It's all bad enough with the drinking, drugs etc. Now you teach them to become a MURDER?! What the hell?! I just can't get over this! I mean obviously what happened to Martyn's dad was an accident and he was afraid they'd blame him (I would have called the police anyway but I understand) so he got rid of the body, THAT was already wrong though!

But Martyn was the most disturbed, weird, depressive and heartless kid I've ever read about!! I mean he lied ALL the goddamned time! He came up with plans that only a serial killer could think off! But that wasn't what had blown me away. Not at all! It was what Alex did, and with the help of her MOTHER! WTF?! Killing someone and than tell in her stupid filthy letter that it wasn't bad if she didn't get caught! SERIOUSLY WHAT THE F*CK!?

I had to blink a few times when I read the last page! Normally it takes me about 3 days to finish a book of 600 pages but THIS book was so depressive that it took me more than 4 days to read it and it only has 177 pages! It was that depressive! I would have put it aside and stopped reading it if it wasn't for the fact that I have to make a test about it!

I wonder how they can complain that this generation becomes worse with the time when they allow these kinds of books to saunter around for children/teens to read!

[Jazmin]

Martyn Pig is about a young teenage boy (17 years old) named Martyn Pig who is very lonely and isolated from the world.He is the only child who lives with a single parent, and usually that parent is the mom. But for Martyn it's the opposite.Martyn's mother died, and because of this he had to live with his father.But there is a twist to this,and that is that Martyn thinks his father is a drunk moron. He doesn't care about Martyn and he is abusive.Martyn wakes up every day to bear cans and cigarettes all over the floor, and he comes home from school with screams and threats thrown at him from his father. One day Martyn gets sick and tired of it and does something that was going to change his life forever. Martyn was watching television one day and was interupted by his drunk father. They soon got into a altercation and Martyn's father punched him in the head. Martyn then flipped out and accidently killed his father with his bare hands. He doesn't get aressted or charged for murder.But Martyn does many things with the body to cover his death and he continues on with his life as if nothing happened.Martyn now has to deal with the guilt that his father is gone because of him. I recommend this book to people who like surprises and are interested in realistic mysterious type books.This book kept me wanting to know more and I'm sure it will for you.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 1 out of 5]

This fifteen year old faces a miserable life: his mother deserted the family because his father is a violent, miserable alcoholic living on the dole. His only other relative is a dictatorial, judgmental aunt. He is forced to keep house and cook for his father and take his father’s emotional and physical abuse. Then when his father attacks him in a jealous rage, Martyn shoves him in self defense, resulting in his father’s death. The story deals with the consequences of not reporting what happens. The story moves well and includes suspense and drama enough, but the fatalistic attitude of “everything is already determined by coincidence and a malignant fate, so just go with the flow” and “nothing is objectively right or wrong,” makes the book not one I would really recommend wholeheartedly. The cover says it is “grossly funny,” but the humor is hard to see, though the grossness is definitely present. The story ends on a relatively negative note after a twist at the end. The protagonist is barely better off, with very little hope for the future.

[Loreta Griciutė · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dalykai nutinka ne šiaip sau,ar ne? Jie turi pasekmes. Ir pasekmės turi savo pasekmes. Ir pasekmių pasekmių pasekmes. Ir tos atsilikusių dalykų pasekmės sukelia kitus dalykus, todėl pasekmių pasekmės tampa priežastimis. Niekas nejuda tiesia linija,niekas neina tiesiai.

Visi mes šokame pagal paslaptingą melodiją, kurią tolumoje vinguriuoja nematomas fleitininkas".

Paliktas mamos,su tėvu alkoholiku,Martynas stengiasi išgyventi.
Įvykus nelaimingam atsitikimui, tėvo mirtis nuslepiama, ir jis papasakoja tiesą kaimynei Aleksei. Vėliau gaunamas laiškas,kad bus paveldėta didelė pinigų suma tėvo vardu.
Gimsta planas,ir abu paaugliai atsikrato mirusio tėvo kūno,ir planuoja ką darys su pinigais.Pagalius į ratus įkiša Aleksės draugas Dinas, norėdamas pasisavinti pinigus,bet jam nepavyksta. O toliau...
Aleksos išdavystė,melas,bandant nuslėpti tikrus įvykius,ir finalas,kaip Martynui Pigui pavyko sausam išlipti iš balos.

Tikrai labai gudriai susukta istorija,kai skaitai,ir nežinai,ko tikėtis,kai nieko negali nuspėti,o painiavos daugiau negu reikia.
Patiko !!!

[Jared Shilts · Rating 4 out of 5]

plot:Martyn Pig is a book about lying, stealing, and killing. The book is named after its main character, Martyn. He is a socially awkward teen with a drunken father. Near Christmas, Martyn and his father get into an argument and his dad attacks him. Martyn ducks, sending his father into a wall by accident. The impact kills his father and Martyn does not know what to do. He heads up to his dad's room and discovers checks for 30,000 pounds. When he sees his ultimate plan, Martyn goes to see his friend Alex. She is a few years older and they don't really talk, but Martyn does not know where else to go. With her help, Martyn disposes of his father. The only problem now is Dean, Alex's boyfriend. As it turns out, Dean overheard the whole plan to cover Martyn's fathers death. With all these problems, Martyn will need a miracle to get away with his deceased father's money.

Characterization: Martyn's only friend in the book is Alex. Alex helps Martyn with hiding his dad's corpse. During the early chapters, Alex is just a person that Martyn used to know. Her character changes when her boyfriend, Dean, places a tape recorder in her bag. Dean hears all about Martyn and Alex's plan and threatens to frame them if he does not get the money. Alex turns from a relatively quite girl to a calculating and tactical thinker. She is always one step ahead of everyone, even Martyn. By the end of the book, Alex manages to kill Dean, protect Martyn while he is in custody, and take the 30,000 pounds and head to America. Her character is very interesting and smart throughout the book.

setting: The book is set in the United Kingdom during Christmas week. The visual setting is mostly dreary and dark. Sometimes it snows but most of the time it is raining. Martyn says he does not like the hustle of Christmas shopping. The main impact that the timing has on Martyn is his two day window to hide his father's body before his Aunty Jean arrives. Martyn's plan to get away with the perfect "murder" means that he has to make it so his dad appears to be sleeping in his bedroom when his Aunt shows up. When she finally comes to Martyn's house she does not see anything unusual, thus giving Martyn an alibi with his Aunt's depiction of his father.

Recommendation: I did not enjoy reading this book at first, I thought there would be a pigman, but I soon appreciated its rising action and overall plot. I recommend it to younger teens that enjoy crime mysteries and small bits of drama. I give Martyn Pig a 4 out of 5 stars.

[Mike Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a new GCSE specification in English next year and this is one of the possible texts to study. I wouldn't usually read this kid of novel for pleasure because it's aimed at teenagers. Regardless, I'll judge it on its own merits.



Basically, the characters seem to me to be a collection of cliches in modern teen fiction: alcoholic father, female friend who doesn't see the protagonist 'in that way', older boyfriend of female character with no redeemable features, single mother, strict aunt. Until later in the novel, the writer also makes these characters very two dimensional - the father is just a bad man. He's in no way a victim of alcoholism or even a human being, there is no subtlety in the characterisation at all.



The plot itself is interesting enough - although the amount of money involved makes the whole thing a little ridiculous as it's just not enough to be a life changing amount. Also, Brooks is a competent writer and there's a couple fo set pieces where his style is imaginative and he does attempt something different which is to his credit.



As a text to teach, I think that teenagers would enjoy it and find it easy to access. I also think that there are a lot of teaching activities that could be fun linked with the text. As a result, I will probably teach it - however I do have some regret that GCSE can now be based on such a text and not the classic literature that has been studied for years. Does this compare with Orwell, Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Golding, Salinger? No chance.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you like books about teenage boys who accidentally kill their alcoholic dads? If you do, then you’ll love this!

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks is one of my favourite books (for all the wrongs reasons; it’s absolutely horrible) so I decided to read Martyn Pig purely on the basis that it’s his first novel (not because I thought the story sounded interesting) and.... it was alright.

I thought the book would have been darker than it actually was but I have a feeling that the age of the ‘intended readership’ might have stopped it from being too f*cked-up (which was slightly disappointing).

Anyway, it was weird and I don’t think it’s a book I’m going to remember in the long run (as opposed to The Bunker Diary.... which I still can’t get out of my head).

[Sian Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant and twisty. Kevin Brooks’ first book and he started off great. But he continued even better and I don’t think this is his best work.

[beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

the moment everything ties together in this little murder mystery is so amazingly written and i thoroughly enjoyed every single scenario and the development of each event

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story from this writer. Although the ending could have been a little better and with more info, it was alright.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. I rated it 4 stars because I wasn’t fussed on the ending, it felt a bit rushed considering we never find out Alex’s motivations and her letter at the end gives little closure. Martyn was an interesting character; I spent the whole book trying to decide is he was a sociopath or not. However, the writing was beautiful as you will see with this parting quote Look at this place. These squalid houses, dirty little streets, dead skies. Nothing. No life, no point. Too many people with nothing to say and nothing to do and nowhere to go. Grey souls. Waiting for it all to end. This is it, this is what I have. This. This place where tiny things mean so much to tiny people. Where nothing does anything, where we eat, drink, breed, age and die. This is it. A new millennium. The Age of Technology. The end result of millions of years of evolution. Me, alone in a dirty little house, in a dirty little street, in a dirty little town.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

خب برای شروع باید بگم که این کتاب واقعا منو شوکه کرد. در جریان این کتاب به جملاتی جالب توجه برخوردم و نویسنده پایانی زیبا به کار خود داده بود
مارتین ماجرای خودش رو با توضیح دادن در مورد اسم و فامیلش و این که چطور به خاطر اون مورد تمسخر دیگران قرار می گیره آغاز می کنه ولی این در برابر اتفاقاتی که قراره بعد از اون رخ بده چیزی نیست. مارتین از پدرش متنفره ولی نه این که بخواد اون بمیره و یک جسد رو دستش بمونه در حالی که نمی دونه باید باهاش چی کار کنه اما اوضاع از این هم بدتر می شه

[Emma Radford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read! Lots of twists. Not my favourite by Brooks but a great debut.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironic, săptămâna trecută am luat cartea asta din biblioteca fără sa am habar ca titlul se va reflecta atat de mult in realitatea mea. Acum parca o urăsc... ca și cum as fi chemat acest lucru...dar știu ca e o prostie. A fost doar o coincidenta faptul ca tata a decedat în perioada în care eu citeam aceasta carte.
Am citit cartea și nu pot sa spun ca mi a displăcut. Nu e chiar ceea ce m am așteptat, însă. E destul de binișor scrisa, dar un pic superficiala. Personajul principal are numai 14 ani... de unde atâta forta interioara sa conceapă un asa plan și de unde forta fizica pt asta? În fine, nu trebuie sa fie real... dar na.
Ii dau 4 stele. Mi au plăcut personajele, chiar dacă mi s au părut dezaxate pe alocuri. Mi a plăcut faptul ca povestea nu lancezeste și te prinde repejor.

[Hannah stressedreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I initially liked the idea of this but just got bored reading and skimmed through the pages

[Nathan Rakaczky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was awesome. A great easy read filled with thrilling scenes.

[Saski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it kept my interest long enough to finish it, I guess that's something. It had a few twists and surprises here and there, not the least of which was Alex, the most interesting of the characters. If she hadn't been studying acting, her turnaround would not have been believable, but she was and good at it. I can understand Martyn's total lack of moral character -- look who he had as a model. The rest of the characters are pretty flat, which is only slightly acceptable because Martyn is telling the story and he is completely self-absorbed, even with his view of Alex. The only way we see anything else of her character is through his descriptions of her actions. He likes her and pays more attention to what she does and how. I suppose there are places and neighborhoods like the one in this book, where it rains or snows all the time and everyone is drunk (or maybe with that weather, drunkenness is a foregone conclusion), but I'll be happy never to run across it again, in real life or in a book.

[Kylee Wheeler]

Martyn Pig is surely a weird name but he gets used to the other names he gets called. So theirs a new neighbor, Her name is Alex. She's his friend and they hang out every night. But one night, His dad was yelling "Lew is" And he said, "Shut up!" And then the dad came up and tried to hit him but then he dodged it by a whisker, then his dad was facing the fireplace and then Martyn pushed him in the fireplace and he died. A few hours later Alex came and they talked and he showed her what happened.
"Tell someone." Is what she said but he came up with a foolproof idea to hide the body.

[Timo Locher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Martyn because it has a lot of tension and there were jokes too. At first the book is a bit boring but after his father’s dead it becomes a very nice book. I decided to read this book because the author has written a very exciting text on the back of the book. So the story is very good but some things in the book are a bit indistinct and that’s why I give it three stars instead of four stars. But if you like thrillers I can really recommend this book!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martyn is a mystery-junkie, so it didn't surprise me that the book had double-crosses and betrayals. Martyn himself seemed more believable than the other characters, who just seemed to be stock mystery "types".

And then I was disappointed with the editing: 999 is the emergency number in England, not 911! I hope they caught that before it went to final print.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book with more twists and turns - it will leave you stunned. In the novel, Martyn accidentally causes his father's death. he knows he doesn't want to get put into the foster care system, so he decides to try to hide that he's alone. Unfortunately, things go from bad to strange to... worse? I had a class of "hate-to-read" students read this book and everyone was thoroughly engaged.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent murder mystery aimed at the YA/teen audience.

I absolutely adore Brooks' style of writing. It's witty, quirky, intelligent, moving, sad. He is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite authors, he's already my favourite YA author. Everyone should go check him out.

[Anabelle Lucia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unsatisfactory ending. I like the blackmail part though.

[Laura Vanagaitė · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait 'till I start another Kevin Brooks book, I just love his writing

[Tizzz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never seen an idiot like Martyn Pig. No wonder he has " Pig " in his name.

[Alice English · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good really made me want to read more of it

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been so long since i read it but i'll never ever forget this book, it's so beautiful.

[Daniel W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great. You can tell that a lot of heartfelt work went into this.

[Sinlovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatable, honest, raw, and utterly beautiful.