The Pig Did It [Paperback]

Joseph Caldwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 2009

A pig escapes from its pen and roots up the garden of Kitty McCloud, a bestselling novelist who “corrects” the classics. What the obstreperous little pig unearths is evidence of a possible transgression that the novel’s three Irish characters—the plagiarizing Kitty, her blood-feud rival Kieran, and a sexy swineherd named Lolly—are convinced the other has probably benefited from.

How this hilarious mystery is resolved inspires both comic eloquence and a theatrically colorful canvas depicting the brooding Irish land and seascape.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unhappy in love, New York creative writing instructor Aaron McCloud, 32, arrives in Western Ireland's County Kerry to suffer amid its natural beauty in this very funny sixth novel from Caldwell (The Uncle from Rome). Aaron stays with his aunt Kitty, who makes a living rewriting the classics (her version of Oliver Twist features lots of repentance), but Aaron's wallow in self-pity is interrupted by a lost pig that attaches itself to him. When the pig digs up a human skeleton buried in the backyard, Kitty identifies the remains as the missing Declan Tovey and blames the pig's mischievous owner, Lolly McKeever. But Lolly won't admit to owning the pig, let alone killing Declan, and Aaron, for his part, is attracted to Lolly and suspicious of his aunt, who had her own reasons for wanting Declan dead. The stage is set for an Irish country comedy of manners in which darts, pints, pigs and burial plots all play a part. Caldwell's shaggy pig story, the first of a projected trilogy, puts farcical doings into lilting language and provides a payoff that is as unexpected as it is satisfying. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“The macabre comedy plays out in sparkling dialogue, including some hilarious speeches that are both incantations of Irish mythology and masterful bits of parody. . . . [Caldwell’s] perfect ear for the non sequiturs of real conversation is a constant delight.”
       —Washington Post (A Book World Best Book of 2008) (Washington Post )

“Puts farcical doings into lilting language and provides a payoff that is as unexpected as it is satisfying.”
       —Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly )

“Irish to the core, [Caldwell’s trilogy] speaks to all of humanity . . . with a heart as wide as an Irish smile and a drollness that would be welcome in many a pub.”
       —Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond Times-Dispatch ) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Delphinium Books (April 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883285348
• ISBN-13: 978-1883285340
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A playwright and novelist who has been awarded the Rome Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Joseph Caldwell has been praised by critics for his "precise prose," and "subtle humor that edges in to the absurd." He is the author of five novels in addition to the Pig Trilogy including In Such Dark Places, The Uncle From Rome, and Bread for the Baker's Child. Caldwell currently lives New York City and is working on various post-Pig writing projects.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Cheers for the Pig, January 10, 2008

By 

D. Barbour (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pig Did It (Hardcover)

This is 250 pages of pure delight--a farce, a romance, and a literary satire all rolled into one package of amusement. It's a departure for an author whose novels have often illuminated the darker side of human experience, yet I'm betting you'll find this comedy of grave matters to be laugh-provoking and oddly uplifting.

51 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Blarney quaint., September 18, 2010

By 

David M. Giltinan (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Pig Did It (Paperback)

Your enjoyment of "The Pig Did It" can probably be predicted by your reaction to the following (relatively typical) paragraph:

"Remember the day he saved the four sons of Maggie Kerwin and the two sons of Sally Fitzgibbon, with their boat going down in the storm sent from the north. ... Lost in the waves and found and lost again, with the mountains falling right on top of him. Remember the seething water hissing at his valor, raging that he should defy them all -- the waves, the rocks, and all the nibbling fishes below. This was the day he dived down and brought up the four sons of Maggie Kerwin and the two sons of Sally Fitzgibbon, and only him still able to holler. And remember the rescue of Hanrahan's goat with the barn burning, and Kate's cat plucked from the high branches of the oak, and his clothes ripped open for all to see. Forget that his words were made of the night air and that he had the gift of transport like none other before him or since, that his closed eyes and open mouth were the surrender of all this world.... Remember what's there to remember and forget what's there to be forgot.

Kitty's face had turned from flesh to stone. "

This style of writing might reasonably be termed "Blarney quaint". In my experience, most native Irish people find it ridiculous, borderline offensive, and incredibly annoying, while a surprisingly high proportion of non-Irish readers react positively (the word "charming" is often invoked). This probably explains why I'm in the minority on this book. Other readers describe it as a hilarious sendup; for me it had about as much wit as a lobotomized goldfish and larded on the blarney factor to nauseating excess. Other defects included: glacial plotting, grievously bloviated prose and characters that didn't even achieve the status of caricature.

I loathed this book. But that doesn't necessarily mean you won't like it.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No Slop Here, February 9, 2008

By 

Peaceful Heart - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pig Did It (Hardcover)

Aaron McCloud has come to Ireland to mourn a relationship that never was. On the bus trip to his aunt Lolly's home, the journey and his mourning are brought to a abrupt halt when the bus stops for an overturned truck and the loosed pigs wandering in the road. The beautiful swineherd seems to enjoy the adversity. This incongruity turns Aaron's head. In an attempt to impress, he is off to gallantly retrieve one of Lolly's pigs. He chases it up and up finally cresting the hill. Breathing hard, exhausted, and frustrated, Aaron gives up, turns back and soon discovers the bus and Lolly are gone and the pig that would not be caught is now following him. Once they arrive at his aunt's, the pig is put in the shed to be returned to Lolly. Before morning, the pig has escaped and dug up the garden and a shallow grave with the remains of Declan Tovey. This begins the story of The Pig Did It.

Written like a true Irishman, with as many words as possible to say as little as necessary. Caldwell does know when to stop though. The book is only 195 pages long with a delightfully funny story that seems impossible yet too strange not to be true.