Helpful Score: 5
I was a little disturbed by this book, but in a good way. Jack and Holly's friendship is true, but it's one of those situations where everything could get skewed by society (and does). The situations are thought-provoking. Definitely an interesting read.
Helpful Score: 3
This modern day fable is about an angry and lonely adolescent girl, Holly, and Jack, an older man who is isolated from society because of his physical deformities. The author tells the story through Jack's voice and alternately through Holly's voice. The prose is fantastic and very personal. Excellent book!
I thought this was a young adult book, but none of the tags on PBS really lend this book to that genre. This book is compared to Of Mice and Men, and the Curious incident of the Dog at night.
It is a story of friendship between Jack Plum and Holly Lock. Jack is about 30 and has deformities, that makes him a freak to the outside world. He lives with his alcoholic and abusive, but very ill mother. Holly seems like a girl who doesnt fit in due to being a late bloomer. Holly and her mother have this great relationship until her mom gets a boyfriend.
This book will alternate between Jack telling the story and Holly. Jack's chapters are often hard to understand, but after awhile you get used to his way of speaking. The whole book is full of symbolism about hogs, and pigs.
You know with a friendship between a man of that age and a girl so young things are going to spiral out of control and society will think the worse.
I found the book bizarre and disturbing at times, and then poetic, and touching at others.
I thought the ending was fitting, and I was glad to end the book. Of course a happy ever after ending would have been nice, but not too realistic for things to just all get sorted out, like some cozy mystery.
It is a story of friendship between Jack Plum and Holly Lock. Jack is about 30 and has deformities, that makes him a freak to the outside world. He lives with his alcoholic and abusive, but very ill mother. Holly seems like a girl who doesnt fit in due to being a late bloomer. Holly and her mother have this great relationship until her mom gets a boyfriend.
This book will alternate between Jack telling the story and Holly. Jack's chapters are often hard to understand, but after awhile you get used to his way of speaking. The whole book is full of symbolism about hogs, and pigs.
You know with a friendship between a man of that age and a girl so young things are going to spiral out of control and society will think the worse.
I found the book bizarre and disturbing at times, and then poetic, and touching at others.
I thought the ending was fitting, and I was glad to end the book. Of course a happy ever after ending would have been nice, but not too realistic for things to just all get sorted out, like some cozy mystery.
