23 out of 23 people found this review helpful.
I am Pigman. Hear me roar...like a monkey.
Date of Review: Sep 25, 2005
The Bottom Line: Interesting, honest, and surprisingly uncute.
Being of sound mind and body on this 15th day of April in our sophomore year at Franklin High School, let it be known that Lorraine Jensen and John Conlan have decided to record the facts, and only the facts, about our experiences with Mr. Angelo Pignati. And hence, it all begins.
As Lorraine and John alternate chapters, they unveil the Pigman's story, from their first conversation to the bitter end. John and Lorraine aren't lonely, exactly. They've got each other, along with their dysfunctional families and friendships. Lorraine's mother is a nurse, paranoid of dirty men, while John's father barely speaks to him. They hang out with a few kids from school, but their friendships are mostly based around insults and beer.
For no real reason, the "friends" start up prank call marathons, seeing who can keep a stranger on the line the longest. Randomly, they dial Mr. Pignati's number. Who knew that one phone call later, they'd be walking to his house to collect money for a "fundraiser"?
It's not that John and Lorraine are trying to be dishonest. They simply get caught up in the moment without thinking about it. Suddenly, they find themselves befriending a lonely old man, so lonely that he invites them to the zoo. They trail along to meet his best friend, a baboon named Bobo. And the pigs? He's got a whole room of them: glass, ceramic, stone, all presents for his wife. Pigs. Pignati. Get it?
And suddenly, John, Lorraine, and the Pigman are a circle of best friends themselves. Except they don't really know him. But the Pigman doesn't seem to mind; he's willing to buy them exotic food, let them hang out at the house, and of course, visit Bobo as much as they want. John and Lorraine don't want to take advantage of the old man. They also don't want to pass up his generosity. After accepting his generosity, they begin to take it for granted...until something happens to the Pigman, and they find that responsibility is all their own.
The Pigman, one of the first novels written specifically for young adults, is a charming, tragic tale. It was published in 1968, and you'll notice a few dated details as you read. None of them, however, are enough to detract from the story's relevance to today.
John and Lorraine are likeable but devious high schoolers. Lorraine is the more sensitive one, always concerned with how her actions might bring about unfavorable circumstances--but influenced enough by John's persuasive charm that she doesn't always follow the safe plan anyway. And John, who refers to his parents as Bore and Old Lady, is a party child who writes like this: I'll go like @#$% if it's a mild curse--like the kind you hear in the movies when everyone makes believe they're morally violated but have really gotten the thrill of a lifetime. At one point, John shows an ironic mix of loyalty/rightness and badness: "I knew I'd kill Norton if he tried to hurt the old man."
Overall, they're good kids who do some bad things, and they mean to do the bad things, but they don't mean to be bad. Author Paul Zindel does a good job crafting these characters--making us cringe when they do stupid things, but wanting to them in hopes next time will be better.
The Pigman, however, wouldn't win any awards for Best Supporting Actor. He's a lonely old man, but he doesn't do anything marvelous, other than offer everything he has to John and Lorraine. Still, their relationship isn't strong. Despite the amount of time spent together, John and Lorraine don't really know the Pigman, nor does he know them. It seems a little awkward that he's suddenly letting these random kids overrun his house and eat his food, but I suppose that strange disconnect is what makes the book's ending even more thought-provoking: we, like John and Lorraine, probably don't see much strength in the relationship. However, we, also like John and Lorraine, are forced to see things from the old man's point of view, understanding that even meaningless actions may be of huge significance to others.
There are some areas of concern, including language, mild sexual innuendo, and insults hurled toward adults (as in "our retarded teacher"). John and Lorraine also engage in a lot of beer drinking, though not entirely without consequence. Author Paul Zindel does an interesting job of characterizing both good and bad in his characters. They are not made out to be victims, nor are they entirely in control of their situations. Their parties are tame (proof that they could be doing so much worse) but not entirely innocent. And while The Pigman is no handbook on moral doctrine, it's a good reflection of real life: people do get away with things. Bad things can result from bad choices. And every decision has an effect at some point.
The Pigman isn't gripping, it's not cute, it's not poetic. It is honest, sad, thought-provoking, and original. Very unsentimental. If I were to think about the great YA novels I've ever read, this one probably wouldn't come to mind right away. But it's a book I would not mind reading again. Several times, perhaps.
