Fionnáin reviewed Pig Tales by Marie Darrieussecq (The New Press international fiction series)
Absurd Metamorphosis
3 stars
Marie Darrieussecq's debut novel is a metamorphosis story that pulls in themes of sexism, racism, and political extremism, all painted with a heavy brush. The story is painful but playful, told by a narrator who has transformed into a pig after a series of harrowing life events where her body is abused constantly, mostly by men.
The story is absurd but engaging enough to entertain, even if at times it feels a little like you are being told the same joke again and again. The cleverness is spoiled at times by the obviousness of the plot or the clear influences of other books that come through too strongly. While some of the themes are obvious (the abuse of the female body for money, for example), other moments such as the strange ending or the fictional political events are a little too muddled. But even so, as a story and an …
Marie Darrieussecq's debut novel is a metamorphosis story that pulls in themes of sexism, racism, and political extremism, all painted with a heavy brush. The story is painful but playful, told by a narrator who has transformed into a pig after a series of harrowing life events where her body is abused constantly, mostly by men.
The story is absurd but engaging enough to entertain, even if at times it feels a little like you are being told the same joke again and again. The cleverness is spoiled at times by the obviousness of the plot or the clear influences of other books that come through too strongly. While some of the themes are obvious (the abuse of the female body for money, for example), other moments such as the strange ending or the fictional political events are a little too muddled. But even so, as a story and an unusual, wry contemporary myth, this book is worth a read.