I found a review of The Christmas Pig on another site and was intrigued. I even read the first bit while shopping. But being a grown-up, I hesitated to purchase it, at least until I was home with my Kindle and nobody else had to know (which is one reason I love Kindles). ;) The Kindle price also made me hesitate (seriously, this little treasure should be free)! But I am so glad I finally read and loved The Christmas Pig.
J.K. Rowling's world-building is masterful as ever. In fact, I think I liked The Land of the Lost better than Hogwarts and Harry Potter's world, though I love both. Land of the Lost seems a bit more immersive, and since Christmas Pig is a shorter book, easier to navigate. I also found it easier to keep all the fantastical rules of the Land of the Lost straight (although that could also be because Christmas Pig doesn't have legions of fans on the Internet griping about its inconsistencies, thank goodness). I loved how J.K. created several different mini-worlds and gave them each the exact amount of detail and page time needed to come alive.
As with any good book, I also enjoyed the characters, and not always for reasons I thought I would. J.K. pulls off a few gentle and deft, yet hard-hitting plot twists with a couple. For instance, Jack is the protagonist, but he doesn't become a true hero until later, and it's not because he's the main human in a world full of inanimate objects. And the Loser *can be* read as a sympathetic villain, but unlike so many of those, he doesn't have an easy excuse--or any excuse, really. It's not a case of, "Oh, but this villain was hurt once, so they can't be held accountable." It's more a case of, "We can sympathize to a point, but after that point, we can and should root against this person (thing? Creature? Whichever--and that's okay).
But above all, I loved the Things in this book. Now, they did inspire some rueful laughs and smiles. For instance, I dropped a bottle cap between car seats while reading this and my first thought was, "It probably ended up in Bother-it's-Gone." But J.K. didn't simply inspire sympathy and pathos in me for inanimate Things. In this book, more than perhaps any I've seen lately, every Thing you meet has a personality and a story and a motive. Even the Things that aren't tangible, such as Hope, Happiness, Ambition, and Power, positively pop off the page (I did that on purpose since I don't think Power cares for alliteration). :) You root for them. You want them to have hope and a future. You want them to find some value. And when or if they do, you cheer. Your heart is warmed. I don't cry at books, but if I did, I'd have bawled like another reviewer did.
As for the frame story of Jack, Dur Pig, and the family, it warmed my heart too, while inspiring some mental tears and empathy. I found myself wanting to sweep Jack and even Holly into big hugs. DP made me think, with a twinge, about my little nephew's beloved lamb, who's been washed within an inch of his life but at this point is just as gray and wonky as DP--and just as loved. Broken Angel ended up winning my empathy on a very personal level, and I found myself wishing to be the encourager, the friend, Hope was to Jack, CP, and others.
I also appreciated the depth and shading J.K. gave these characters; for instance, Holly is both nice and a bully, depending on the day and her mood, but also because of her own problems. J.K. didn't just write her off as a stereotypical teenager. Nor did she make Jack a typical innocent, sometimes whiny, but perfect little kid. No. Jack is allowed to give vent to his emotions. He is allowed to do the wrong thing and say the wrong thing, and make it right. He's allowed to throw tantrums, and misunderstand, and realize he didn't have all the facts about Things or People. In other words, Jack, Holly, Christmas Pig--these are real in every sense.
I had favorite characters and favorite moments with them--Compass, for instance, became the best kind of heroine in my eyes, and Poem made me look back fondly on all my old first drafts. Beloved they might not have been, but Missed, yes (they can be Adjusted now)! I also loved J.K.'s allegorical parts, though those may have been unintentional and to me, some were a bit too on-the-nose (Island of the Beloved and the Loser's Lair are the two I'm thinking of, which in turn makes the presence of Santa Claus work while being a little weird? I'm not sure). But that's totally not a big deal. The point is, I could go on until next Christmas, but I won't.
What will I do instead? You got it. I'll urge you to grab a copy of this book--for your kids, for your nieces and nephews and grandkids, for your classroom or school library shelf, and yes, even for yourself. Read it. Be warmed, encouraged, and blessed. Know you are beloved, that if you went away, you would be automatically missed, and that Hope, Happiness, and all good things are here for you.
The Christmas Pig
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Arrived in pristine condition and earlier than expected.
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2022
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2022
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