What do you think?
Rate this book
Pig
A simple tale told against a background of urban decay and moral squalor. This book sees 15-year-old Danny determined to look after his grandparent's ancient sow, following his grandfather's death and his grandmother's removal to a home.
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1994
5 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
January 12, 2011
Not a lot happens to unlikable characters, all of it described in great detail. I'm not a fan of these kinds of 'coming of age' books because the misadventures of grotty teenagers fumbling in pot noodle stained sheets isn't that interesting to me.
April 7, 2023
-- Recommended by my father as a short read before going abroad --
I was not a huge fan of this book. It had some interesting aspects to it, but the main characters were not likable, nor was the story very entertaining.
The pig dying at the end ultimately did not affect me as a reader so much since the bond between Danny and the pig did not feel so strong. For a book titled 'Pig', you would expect more scenes with the animal, or thought processes through which you can understand the love of Danny for either farm or animal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2018
This is a book with a big heart. The novel grinds slowly, but it grinds exceeding fine. The protagonist, 15-year old Danny, lives in a run down town in the North of England. The death of hs grandmother triggers two obsessions: to retrieve his grandfather from a nursing home and find a suitable place for him to live and to fix up the vegetable plot and pigpen at his grandparents' abandoned cottage. His grandmother kept pigs and only Agnes is left. Danny is determined not to see the sow die. Another element of the story is Danny's girlfriend who is of Indian descent. Danny rages against the racism she and her family encounter.It's a coming of age story with an ending that will leave you guessing. Very well written unique prose.
February 18, 2015
Is this book as good as some of the other 5 stars on my Read list? No. Is it as good as something like Up the Junction? Very nearly. Aside from the slightly abrupt ending, there's not a lot I can fault with this novel.
I didn't expect to enjoy it. The phrase 'coming of age' and a plot in which 'the main character cares for a pig' didn't appeal. But it is a really good book. Cowan writes beautifully and his simplicity is wonderful. He can write a simple sentence - and yet it can mean so much. He has a great grasp on humanity; on family, on first relationships. His characters are consistent and recognisable - easily defined and yet layered. They change, they're fully formed. His sentences reference things that everyone experiences, our own memories, experiences of society and social norms. Cowan *gets* the average life, and he portrays it beautifully in Pig.
It's not a well known book, and describing it to a friend today, I used the phrase 'very standard'. And in a way, it is. It is exactly what you would expect from a coming of age novel. But it's beautiful and discreet. It's unexpected, and just because it has predecessors, doesn't diminish it as a book. A very enjoyable read, and deserving of its five stars.
I didn't expect to enjoy it. The phrase 'coming of age' and a plot in which 'the main character cares for a pig' didn't appeal. But it is a really good book. Cowan writes beautifully and his simplicity is wonderful. He can write a simple sentence - and yet it can mean so much. He has a great grasp on humanity; on family, on first relationships. His characters are consistent and recognisable - easily defined and yet layered. They change, they're fully formed. His sentences reference things that everyone experiences, our own memories, experiences of society and social norms. Cowan *gets* the average life, and he portrays it beautifully in Pig.
It's not a well known book, and describing it to a friend today, I used the phrase 'very standard'. And in a way, it is. It is exactly what you would expect from a coming of age novel. But it's beautiful and discreet. It's unexpected, and just because it has predecessors, doesn't diminish it as a book. A very enjoyable read, and deserving of its five stars.
February 13, 2022
This book was impossible to to get into it and everything was over described with nothing much happening.
And the pig dies at the end :(
And the pig dies at the end :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2018
Pig is a beautifully realised, quiet and melancholy coming of age tale set in the deteriorating landscape of the post industrial British countryside.
The writing is excellent, evocative, and deceptively spare. The drama is understated and affecting, with characters who linger on in the reader’s imagination as people who really have lived.
The themes are universal: the slow, inexorable influence of time, the inevitability of death, the negative effects of ignorance, poverty, and discrimination.
This is a meditative, purposeful, well drawn story, and I genuinely loved it all the way through.
I honestly don’t understand Good Reads—so many superb books get reviewed negatively, yet trash is praised?
Ignore the poor reviews. Pig is a wonderful novel, skilfully written, and it deserves a space on your bookshelf. Try it out,
The writing is excellent, evocative, and deceptively spare. The drama is understated and affecting, with characters who linger on in the reader’s imagination as people who really have lived.
The themes are universal: the slow, inexorable influence of time, the inevitability of death, the negative effects of ignorance, poverty, and discrimination.
This is a meditative, purposeful, well drawn story, and I genuinely loved it all the way through.
I honestly don’t understand Good Reads—so many superb books get reviewed negatively, yet trash is praised?
Ignore the poor reviews. Pig is a wonderful novel, skilfully written, and it deserves a space on your bookshelf. Try it out,
June 26, 2010
Catcher in the Rye it is not
but a pleasant read, you're sort of holding your breath for something to happen and nothing really does I guess
but there's a certain sweetness to it that's endearing
but a pleasant read, you're sort of holding your breath for something to happen and nothing really does I guess
but there's a certain sweetness to it that's endearing
February 27, 2025
Yeah this book was not good
July 15, 2023
lovely description but quite slow
July 29, 2016
Iniţial nu am crezut că o să îmi placă această carte atât de mult şi, evident, ca de obicei, m-am înşelat.
O mare parte din acţiune se petrece la casa bunicilor lui Danny, un adolescent de 15 ani deoarece moartea bunicii sale şi mutarea bunicului său au un impact destul de mare asupra lui Danny şi sunt motivele pentru care acesta îşi dorea să aibă grijă de casa şi de porcul lor.
Acest porc, ei bine, este porcul pe care "Buni", aşa cum îi spunea Danny, l-a iubit cel mai mult, deoarece nu îşi dorea să o mai omoare, aşa cum făcuse cu ceilalţi porci pe care îi deţinuse, ci îşi dorea să o crească şi să o lase să moară de bătrâneţe. Ceva mai târziu, Surinder şi Danny îl vor boteza Agnes, aşa cum o chema pe bunica lui Danny.
Danny decide să îşi petreacă 90% din timpul lui la casa bunicilor atât pentru a avea grijă de porcul lor, dar şi pentru a fi mai aproape de Surinder, fata "paki" pe care nimeni din cartierul acestora nu o doreşte prin preajmă, din cauză că nu este albă. În timpul petrecut împreună, şi anume o vară întreagă, Danny şi Surinder devin extrem de apropiaţi şi ajung să facă, pe lângă curăţenia din curte şi fumat, şi dragoste.
Deşi familia îi interzicea, într-un fel, să se ducă la bunicul lui, căruia îi spunea "Bunul", Danny îşi dorea să îşi petreacă mult mai mult timp cu acesta decât cu părinţii, cu sora şi cu fratele său. Simţindu-se în largul lui în preajma acestuia, Danny decide să îşi viziteze bunicul zilnic, pentru a fi mai aproape de el şi pentru a-i spune tot ce se petrece la fosta casă a acestuia.
Totul se schimbă radical atunci când fratele lui Danny, Richard, se angajează constructor pentru un parc de distracţii, care va fi plasat exact pe pământurile bunicilor lui, acest lucru însemnând că atât porcul cât şi casa vor dispărea.
După punctul culminant, care vine o dată cu angajarea lui Richard, lucrurile încep să devină mai precipitate, mai dure şi mult mai grele decât fuseseră până atunci.
Finalul cărţii m-a lovit în inimă, deoarece Danny trebuie să facă o alegere foarte grea, una la care nu s-ar fi gândit niciodată. Acelaşi lucru îl pot spune şi despre Surinder, din păcate.
Deşi înainte de primele 30 de pagini mi s-a părut plictisitoare, acest lucru nu a mai fost valabil după ce am trecut de pagina 30.
Ceea ce m-a impresionat cel mai mult la această carte este devotamentul lui Danny pentru porc, casă şi, mai ales, pentru Surinder.
O mare parte din acţiune se petrece la casa bunicilor lui Danny, un adolescent de 15 ani deoarece moartea bunicii sale şi mutarea bunicului său au un impact destul de mare asupra lui Danny şi sunt motivele pentru care acesta îşi dorea să aibă grijă de casa şi de porcul lor.
Acest porc, ei bine, este porcul pe care "Buni", aşa cum îi spunea Danny, l-a iubit cel mai mult, deoarece nu îşi dorea să o mai omoare, aşa cum făcuse cu ceilalţi porci pe care îi deţinuse, ci îşi dorea să o crească şi să o lase să moară de bătrâneţe. Ceva mai târziu, Surinder şi Danny îl vor boteza Agnes, aşa cum o chema pe bunica lui Danny.
Danny decide să îşi petreacă 90% din timpul lui la casa bunicilor atât pentru a avea grijă de porcul lor, dar şi pentru a fi mai aproape de Surinder, fata "paki" pe care nimeni din cartierul acestora nu o doreşte prin preajmă, din cauză că nu este albă. În timpul petrecut împreună, şi anume o vară întreagă, Danny şi Surinder devin extrem de apropiaţi şi ajung să facă, pe lângă curăţenia din curte şi fumat, şi dragoste.
Deşi familia îi interzicea, într-un fel, să se ducă la bunicul lui, căruia îi spunea "Bunul", Danny îşi dorea să îşi petreacă mult mai mult timp cu acesta decât cu părinţii, cu sora şi cu fratele său. Simţindu-se în largul lui în preajma acestuia, Danny decide să îşi viziteze bunicul zilnic, pentru a fi mai aproape de el şi pentru a-i spune tot ce se petrece la fosta casă a acestuia.
Totul se schimbă radical atunci când fratele lui Danny, Richard, se angajează constructor pentru un parc de distracţii, care va fi plasat exact pe pământurile bunicilor lui, acest lucru însemnând că atât porcul cât şi casa vor dispărea.
După punctul culminant, care vine o dată cu angajarea lui Richard, lucrurile încep să devină mai precipitate, mai dure şi mult mai grele decât fuseseră până atunci.
Finalul cărţii m-a lovit în inimă, deoarece Danny trebuie să facă o alegere foarte grea, una la care nu s-ar fi gândit niciodată. Acelaşi lucru îl pot spune şi despre Surinder, din păcate.
Deşi înainte de primele 30 de pagini mi s-a părut plictisitoare, acest lucru nu a mai fost valabil după ce am trecut de pagina 30.
Ceea ce m-a impresionat cel mai mult la această carte este devotamentul lui Danny pentru porc, casă şi, mai ales, pentru Surinder.
May 4, 2020
If you're looking for a book with tension, lots of action and murder ... then this isn't the book for you. When Danny's gran dies and his grandad moves into a care home, he's left looking after their pet pig. Set in Corby around the late 1980s, it's first person point of view narrates a teenager's way of dealing with grief and first love; all with a backdrop of racial tension. The description of Danny's family dynamics are witty and insightful, but I couldn't help feeling that this could have made a better short story. It was Andrew Cowan's first novel and after being rejected by numerous publishers, it won the Betty Trask Award while he worked as a school librarian. After that, he had the same publishers who originally rejected his novel, banging down his door for the publishing rights. A lesson for us all budding writers.
September 17, 2022
Ik heb het boek vooral gelezen als een ode aan de overleden oma en naar een verpleeghuis vertrokken opa, die hun vervallen woninkje en varken achterlaten. De hoofdpersoon blijft het varken verzorgen en verblijft er steeds meer, ook om aan zijn weinig harmonieuze familie te ontkomen. Tegen die achtergrond heeft hij een relatie met zijn Pakistaanse schoolgenootje terwijl die bevolkingsgroep in zijn eigen familie en gemeenschap wordt uitgekotst. Eerder vier sterren dan twee. Cowan weet de settings en sfeer goed neer te zetten, je voelt en ruikt als het ware wat er beschreven wordt. Ook het ontbreken van heftige gebeurtenissen bij een constante dreiging. vind ik geen bezwaar. Het is een beetje statisch, er gebeurt niet zoveel, de andere personen blijven een beetje vlak.
March 10, 2013
A brilliant first novel. Like a modern-day The Catcher in the Rye. People who don't understand the 'unneccessary detail' perhaps need to take a look at some literary realism. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and am looking forward to the lecture delivered by the author tomorrow. 4.5 stars if I could give half-stars.
September 24, 2019
Beautifully written although the rhythm is kind of slow and not much happens.It try to describes the barriers of growing up in a changing society that faces racism and the last days of heavy-industrial based economies.
July 19, 2012
beautifully written and poignant tale - very very sad.
January 13, 2026
This was good I think. I've never read a book that resembled real life so strongly. Nothing hugely remarkable happens, it's all within the realms of reality. It's an accurate depiction of coming of age. Feeling powerless under threats of change, feeling alienated by your family, the importance of romantic relationships.
I enjoyed this book because of Danny's unshaking confidence and understanding of the world. He only does things he likes or feels strongly about. This decision making and simple thinking defines what childhood should be. He is incredibly knowledgable and adept at taking care of himself, the cottage, and the pig. His rationale and values are so logical that you empathise and connect with him throughout the whole story. I wanted things to work out for him, for his wants to become reality. For his Grandad to move next door. Even though as an adult reading, I understand the logistics and how that option wasn't viable.
I liked the scenic descriptions of the unruly British weather (even in Summer). I couldn't quite place where this story is set other than "Northern England" but that's by design. The attitudes and British Culture in this story is present all over Old Blighty, so. The racism in this book is very British, with only Richard being unabashed in his hatred of POC, with the other family members exhibiting creeping covert racism. You feel the tension build for Danny and Surinder as attitudes ramp up over the course of the book. As well as the isolation that comes with growing up curious in a town stained with ignorance. I loved Danny's lack of fear for his pathetic older brother. He remains unflinching on his own values, which come at odds to Richard's racism numerous times throughout the book. Again a testament to Danny's strong character.
I liked Surinder and Danny's relationship a lot. I liked how Surinder mucks in on the farm, that she isn't reserved, that she's aspirational, intelligent and confident. Both their characters make a great match so their relationship is believable and you want it to continue. But their adolescence makes for relatable, frustrating conversations. The descriptions of two teenagers in love, living and working on a cottage was comforting/easy to read. It captured testimonies of Quakerism that appeal to me, simplicity and sustainability.
The sad ending snaps you back to reality, where you have to grow up. I am sort of glad it ends cruelly, as it would be saccharine and unrealistic otherwise. It's a story about coming of age, and the harshness of break ups, sickness, and change round out the book in a bittersweet but satisfying way. I also don't read many books where you're left wondering what's to come for the characters, that it's not completely clear what comes next. Again, a tenement of real life that fits in well at the end. It's slightly heartwrenching so I'm going to believe that Danny does goes back to school. That Richard moves out. That Surinder stays in England. That Danny's grandad dies peacefully and that the Pakistani couple next door are left alone.
I don't feel changed but I feel prodded in the direction of complex emotions. It wasn't ground breaking but it was a slice of someone's life that captured the intensity of adolescence in a divisive time period. I admire this book's lack of great declaration or definitive punching resolution. It's just kind of a thing that exists that makes you feel a little bit sad and a little bit happy.
I enjoyed this book because of Danny's unshaking confidence and understanding of the world. He only does things he likes or feels strongly about. This decision making and simple thinking defines what childhood should be. He is incredibly knowledgable and adept at taking care of himself, the cottage, and the pig. His rationale and values are so logical that you empathise and connect with him throughout the whole story. I wanted things to work out for him, for his wants to become reality. For his Grandad to move next door. Even though as an adult reading, I understand the logistics and how that option wasn't viable.
I liked the scenic descriptions of the unruly British weather (even in Summer). I couldn't quite place where this story is set other than "Northern England" but that's by design. The attitudes and British Culture in this story is present all over Old Blighty, so. The racism in this book is very British, with only Richard being unabashed in his hatred of POC, with the other family members exhibiting creeping covert racism. You feel the tension build for Danny and Surinder as attitudes ramp up over the course of the book. As well as the isolation that comes with growing up curious in a town stained with ignorance. I loved Danny's lack of fear for his pathetic older brother. He remains unflinching on his own values, which come at odds to Richard's racism numerous times throughout the book. Again a testament to Danny's strong character.
I liked Surinder and Danny's relationship a lot. I liked how Surinder mucks in on the farm, that she isn't reserved, that she's aspirational, intelligent and confident. Both their characters make a great match so their relationship is believable and you want it to continue. But their adolescence makes for relatable, frustrating conversations. The descriptions of two teenagers in love, living and working on a cottage was comforting/easy to read. It captured testimonies of Quakerism that appeal to me, simplicity and sustainability.
The sad ending snaps you back to reality, where you have to grow up. I am sort of glad it ends cruelly, as it would be saccharine and unrealistic otherwise. It's a story about coming of age, and the harshness of break ups, sickness, and change round out the book in a bittersweet but satisfying way. I also don't read many books where you're left wondering what's to come for the characters, that it's not completely clear what comes next. Again, a tenement of real life that fits in well at the end. It's slightly heartwrenching so I'm going to believe that Danny does goes back to school. That Richard moves out. That Surinder stays in England. That Danny's grandad dies peacefully and that the Pakistani couple next door are left alone.
I don't feel changed but I feel prodded in the direction of complex emotions. It wasn't ground breaking but it was a slice of someone's life that captured the intensity of adolescence in a divisive time period. I admire this book's lack of great declaration or definitive punching resolution. It's just kind of a thing that exists that makes you feel a little bit sad and a little bit happy.
March 4, 2022
*3.5
i actually surprised myself in that i really didn’t mind the different writing style; it was a nice change. i would say on the whole, the book was simplistically beautiful. there’s charm to the realism and ultra detail. it’s so immersive and it makes the PLACES feel REALLY real. from the meadow where he meets surinder, to the creek he watches her wade through. and especially gran’s garden. wow. there was love and affection woven through every description of that little cottage. so nice.
in terms of character, danny is a good protagonist in that he’s just completely normal. (for 1995 anyways) i don’t feel like i’m reading about the chosen one but about a completely regular boy dealing with grief, loss and first love. some of the others felt a bit archetypal evil like richard, but even he felt understandable. surinder was interesting and their relationship was an intimate n beautiful portrayal of first love, and then heartbreak
the reason for 3.5 is sometimes the writing style can grate, like when you read nearly 6 pages before realising you missed out something vital between the lines😭😭. i also felt we left grandad unresolved and a number of subplots in the wind.
i actually surprised myself in that i really didn’t mind the different writing style; it was a nice change. i would say on the whole, the book was simplistically beautiful. there’s charm to the realism and ultra detail. it’s so immersive and it makes the PLACES feel REALLY real. from the meadow where he meets surinder, to the creek he watches her wade through. and especially gran’s garden. wow. there was love and affection woven through every description of that little cottage. so nice.
in terms of character, danny is a good protagonist in that he’s just completely normal. (for 1995 anyways) i don’t feel like i’m reading about the chosen one but about a completely regular boy dealing with grief, loss and first love. some of the others felt a bit archetypal evil like richard, but even he felt understandable. surinder was interesting and their relationship was an intimate n beautiful portrayal of first love, and then heartbreak
the reason for 3.5 is sometimes the writing style can grate, like when you read nearly 6 pages before realising you missed out something vital between the lines😭😭. i also felt we left grandad unresolved and a number of subplots in the wind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2025
I only started to enjoy this during the last 60 or so pages. On paper, it should have been wonderful - Corby's unique geography was depicted well, the characters were distinct if sometimes lacking in nuance. The Sidhu family were accurately portrayed and issues of racism were handled appropriately and told from an interesting perspective. The relationship between Danny and his grandad was affecting and convincing. In principle, the slow pace should have complemented all this, but Cowan's lexical choices were pedestrian, his sentences lacking in rhythm. This reasserts the fundamental importance of language, craft and technical diction - lack any of these and a great story may fail to meet the mark
September 19, 2025
it's taken me 84 years.....
It kept coming up in a module, a time that seems so long ago now. And I was really impressed with what the author had to say about the writing process, especially in regards to the living the everyday life.
And now I've finally finished this and I'm just so disappointed. The characters aren't likable, conversations go nowhere between them, there's no justice and then it just ends. I feel like the depiction of a silent depression is very accurate and being on the brink of poverty but a good readable story needs to be more than that.
It kept coming up in a module, a time that seems so long ago now. And I was really impressed with what the author had to say about the writing process, especially in regards to the living the everyday life.
And now I've finally finished this and I'm just so disappointed. The characters aren't likable, conversations go nowhere between them, there's no justice and then it just ends. I feel like the depiction of a silent depression is very accurate and being on the brink of poverty but a good readable story needs to be more than that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2022
I did quite like this book but was often confused as to the protagonists age. At the beginning he is 12 and then 15 and it seemed to me, if the action after that took place over a year or two as it seemed to, his voice was sometimes believably 17 but at other times more like 25. This effect made me constantly question how old he was which shifted me out of a deeper involvement.
August 18, 2025
I actually quite liked this book, the reviews are mixed and understandably so. But I find great comfort in the dreadfully slow mundane-ness of the plot, that actually harbors quite a bit of meaning. There’s also a strange comfort in stories not having a happy ending, or leaving you feel unresolved. Things quite often are left w/out a resolution and/or don’t go the way we hoped.
November 25, 2017
Not as good as crustaceans.
March 12, 2018
First time I've ever gotten emotional about a porker.
Good book to read if you want to wean yourself from bacon.
Good book to read if you want to wean yourself from bacon.
August 18, 2019
A well written but ultimately quite boring story. The dialogue, if you can call it that, between the characters is probably fairly accurate but lacking in interest.
December 29, 2019
A great read with interesting characters and storyline.
January 13, 2021
I know the area well and am a contemporary of the author. He hits the bullseye.
February 28, 2022
3.5. starkly yet beautifully written. people rather than plot focused which I liked.
June 12, 2023
A bit too melancholic, even for me.
December 11, 2023
Boring af
July 1, 2024
Re-read and liked a lot. Genuine flair for dialogue and description that feels both prosaic and profound. Quietly devastating end, might investigate some of his others..
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews