Pig

More about the book

When his grandmother dies and his grandfather is sent to a rest home, fifteen-year-old Danny decides to maintain their isolated cottage on the outskirts of town and care for their ancient pig during what will be for him an extraordinary summer. He falls in love with Surinder, a young Indian girl, and the two create a haven for themselves, a refuge from the oppressive world of their bigoted parents and neighbors as well as their own anxieties and discontent. When he is not with Surinder, he makes daily visits to the rest home to see his grandfather, who regales him with tales of pig breeding and slaughter and of the local steel mill in its heyday. And of course there is the pig. But all too soon hints appear of the end of summer and the pig begins to die slowly, and Surinder turns her sights beyond the town limits.