Porky

by Deborah Moggach

At school they called her Porky on account of the pigs her family kept outside their bungalow near Heathrow. But she felt no different - not until she realised she was losing her innocence in a way that none of her friends could possibly imagine. Only a child robbed of her childhood can know too late what it means to be loved too little and loved too much.

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Deborah Moggach is a British writer, born Deborah Hough on 28 June 1948. She has written fifteen novels to date, including The Ex-Wives, Tulip Fever, and, most recently, These Foolish Things. She has adapted many of her novels as TV dramas and has also written several film scripts, including the BAFTA-nominated screenplay for Pride & Prejudice. She has also written two collections of short stories and a stage play. In February 2005, Moggach was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by her Alma Mater, the University of Bristol . She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a former Chair of the Society of Authors, and is on the executive committee of PEN.

Reviews

[HattieB · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: incest, domestic violence, domestic abuse, sexual content, racism.



This book dealt with some very unsettling and dark themes but was written well. If you don't feel like you can read books with the above themes, or don't feel like you're in the right headspace to do so then I wouldn't want to go out of my way to recommend it. However, it is written well and the writing felt very atmospheric. I don't think I am going to reread this book, but it's going to live rent free in my head for a long time.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard book to read, but very well written.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well told tale of incest from a bit very loving family in the first person, leading up to where the narrator is now.
Good stuff.

[Susan Borgersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an early Moggach I believe. An interesting narrative with genuine and very familiar settings.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Lord this one tore my heart out. Couldn't put it down though.

[Jayne Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lot more dark and serious than a lot of Deborah Moggach's other work, and I found it a lot more difficult to get into. It was a harder read, too, as very little is actually explained, you have to read between the lines.