Piggy (review)
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Dizzy’s not much of one for making friends, either at her special school or in her neighborhood, but when Piggy (Dizzy’s misunderstanding of “Peggy”) moves to the neighborhood, Dizzy’s swept up in the new girl’s orbit. Like Dizzy, Piggy is an outsider, but she’s got a rage and a hunger for payback. She’s also developing a plan, which Dizzy doesn’t really understand but finds herself participating in nonetheless. When it turns out that Piggy’s plan is genuinely dangerous and destructive, involving not only scaring a group of local boys but actually imprisoning them, can Dizzy stand up for herself and for Piggy’s victims? Dizzy’s present-tense narration conveys her frame of mind with keen immediacy. Readers will understand why she succumbs to Piggy’s influence even as they wish she’d manage to resist it, and the book lays bare her struggle with some basic human dynamics (passing comments suggest she’s got autism or Asperger’s) while keeping her a person worthy of respect. Belgian author Geus deftly manages to make clear that Piggy is seriously troubled as well as serious trouble even as Dizzy herself doesn’t grasp this fact. The emotional movement is subtle, but it’s a heartening moment when Dizzy goes against Piggy’s wishes; it’s even more heartening when Dizzy resists Piggy’s attempt to suck her right back in again, so her decision, a year later, not to respond to Piggy’s attempt at contact seems a further development of her ability to stand up for herself. The title’s compactness adds accessibility for readers who prefer sprint reads to distance, [End Page 117] and this would be a natural discussion-starter for readers ranging from reluctant to adventurous.
