The Boy Who Kicked Pigs (1999)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1676821.html

It's very short - only 120 pages, and half of those are a series of evocative line drawings illustrating the text. The central character, Robert Caligari, is a horrible boy who enjoys causing fatal road accidents, and comes to a suitably disgusting end (this is not a spoiler as the first paragraph says so). It is told with a certain deep and dark humour, which makes the unpleasant protagonist just interesting enough to keep us engaged. The second half is not as good as the first, with a peculiar digression into mocking local radio presenters which doesn't really work. But it is yet another fascinating insight into Baker's very peculiar mind. ( )

The Boy Who Kicked Pigs is by Tom Baker - yes, the fourth Dr Who. Incidentally, I can really recommend his autobiography Who on Earth is Tom Baker?, and having read that was intrigued to read this truly bizarre and gothic novella. It tells the story of an evil thirteen year old who kicks pigs - it starts off with his sister's piggy bank, but progresses to anything porcine including a bacon butty which is his downfall. He pledges revenge and

Although written as a children's story in style - a bit Lemony Snicketish, it most definitely is not - but fans of Tim Burton would love it. It is also full of arcane adult references from the 1960s - from Will Fyffe (eccentric news reporter) to Hylda Baker (Lancashire actress). Clocking in at just 124 pages, of which half are evocative line drawings, it doesn't take long. I found that imagining Baker himself narrating made for an entertaining reading! ( )

It is a very short book, just over 120 pages, but alternate pages are used for illustrations, so there is not much text and I read it in about an hour.

It is about an evil little boy who delights in hating other people and making them suffer. The book is the story of his exploits and ultimate downfall. It is preposterous and gory, but a lot of fun if you have a dark sense of humour. I’m not sure whether this is intended for adults or children – I don’t think it is suitable for younger children, but it has a similar appeal as the books of Roald Dahl.

Author Tom Baker is best known for playing Doctor Who, although in the UK in recent years he has done a lot of voiceover work. He has a very distinctive voice that I could easily imagine reading the words of this book, which I think added to its quirkiness.

Whilst the text did make me smirk and even laugh at loud at one point, equal credit must be given to the illustrator David Roberts whose witty drawings enhance the story enormously.

This book certainly isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes and the ending is particularly stomach-churning, but if you like black comedy it is a good quick read. ( )

Eccentric, dark and very silly: This is an amazing tale of a terrible boy who is not nice. There are surreal moments and really quite silly bits. The story is all over the place, and slightly flimsy, which makes this more of a cult book but it will have its ardent fans. Wonderful illustrations by David Roberts though.

This one was a disappointment. It seemed so promising and it was a gift from my Waterstones wishlist, so I wanted to love it. It started really well but the second half was rushed and disappointing.

It starts out on June 13th, the day that thirteen year old Robert Caligari is going to die. Robert has never been a nice child, from the time he began to kick his sisters tin moneybox, a pig she calls Trevor, to the day he kicks a neighbour in the pork chops (my favourite bit of the story). He hates people and plots their doom, poisoning his own sister and tricking an elderly man into walking to his own death. But on this day, June 13th, the voices in Robert's head tell him to do something so terrible that he forgets himself completely and meets his own grisly death.

The story is a good one and the illustrations are wonderful, a real treat and possibly the very best part of the book. But as I said, the second part of the book is a disappointment, feeling rushed and ill-thought out. I think that Tom Baker has missed a real opportunity by not making more of Martin at the Temperance Hall and his tarantula, Bluebottle. The telephone conversation between him and Robert was wonderful and I was hoping very much that Robert and Martin would meet in person. All the rubbish with the local radio presenters really let the book down.

I think it has to be mentioned that Tom Baker was a very popular Doctor Who and that this story is a good reflection of his other talents but I think if he hadn't already been famous then the publishers might have expected a higher standard of ending from him. ( )