Martyn Pig

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This study guide contains the following sections: Fourteen-year-old Martyn Pig is faced with some difficult choices in the aftermath of his brutal father's accidental death.

While he is relieved at being free from Dad's tyranny, Marty also feels a degree of guilt over that relief and conflicting emotions about the the flirtatious and mysterious quality of the girl next door; the blackmailing machinations of her repulsive boyfriend; and the sudden appearance of a large sum of money. As the narrative explores the moral ambiguities associated with both Martyn' situation and his decisions, it also explores issues related to becoming an adult and the allure of freedom.

Martyn begins the first-person narrative of his story with a description of some of the difficulties that he has faced, including having a drunken and violent father; a mother who disappeared from his life early on because of that father; and a name that has triggered series of taunts and endless bullying. He also sets the stage for the story that follows, describing the events that occur within the week before Christmas Day and an important participant in those events - Alex, the girl next door that Martyn has a crush on.

The actual story begins one night a week before Christmas. During a violent confrontation with Martyn, his drunken father accidentally falls and hits his head. Instead of calling the police, Martyn, afraid that he will believed to be responsible for his father's death and sent to prison, leaves the body where it fell. Later that night, when Alex comes by for one of her regular nightly visits, Martyn tells her what happened.

Alex tries to convince him to call the police, but he refuses. The next day, Martyn discovers that his father has inherited sixty thousand dollars.

He tells Alex, suggesting that if he goes to the police, there will be no way that he can collect any of the money and telling her that now she is as "guilty" as he is. Still convinced Martyn should call the police, Alex leaves, but returns later that day with her slimy boyfriend Dean, who reveals that he knows everything that happened and that he wants the entire sum of money in order to stay quiet. Martyn agrees to have the money for Dean by the following Monday, but concocts a plan to prevent that from actually happening. The following Monday, Martyn is visited again by Dean, but tells him that if Dean makes any attempt to tell the police what he knows about what Alex and Martyn, he Martyn will tell the police where to find Dad's body and the evidence that Dean was involved in his Dad's death.

The next day Christmas Eve , shortly after discovering that Alex has disappeared, Martyn is visited by the police, who tell him that Dean has been killed in a motorcycle accident, and that there's evidence that Martyn was involved in the death.

Martyn Pig Summary & Study Guide

After taking him to the police station to answer some questions and leaving him alone for the night, Martyn is able to think through everything that's happened, and comes to realize that Alex has betrayed him, and has also stolen the money. His neighbor Alex was his best friend. They would always play Scrabble together and she would teach him things about acting.

Martyn's dad was a drunk. There was never a time he wasn't drinking or smoking. The house was a mess, Martyn would get beaten, and his life was miserable with his dad there. Until one day thing went wrong. Martyn didn't mean to kill him, it was an accident. He slightly pushed him that's all, and he was off balance which brought him falling into the fireplace. The crack of his skull on the brick still plays in Martyn's mind. All he had to do was call the police and tell the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to do it because he was too scared.

Now Alex knows and she is trying to help Martyn with what to do. Things turn for the worse. I gave this book a five out of five stars. It was unbelievable how deep it got into Martyn's emotions and thoughts, I seemed to be thinking of it myself. The infinite battle of Man vs self. How depressed and terrifying his mind came to be. The things he would see.

Martyn Pig Summary & Study Guide Description

He couldn't remember if they were actually real or not. His dreams were coming alive. The author also described everything down to the bone. He nailed every detail. He made each character so liable for the part they played, that it made the story line even better. I didn't find anything wrong with this book. Everything was there and more that I always wish to find in a murder mystery book.

There was one slight problem with it though. The book was a little short for my liking, but there is a good part to this too. The author new exactly where to end the book and how to carry on in the epilogue. Yes, I understand not many people read the epilogue, but in this book it's somewhat necessary. After reading what happens your wanting to find out where he ends up. Also, in the epilogue there is another plot twist that you would've missed.

It changes everything, and gives you an answer to what really happened with Alex. I can not wait to read other books like this. This is the first time I was able to find a book of this genre that fits all my needs. The author new just what to right down on the page, and it seemed like such a real story. I feel a theme for this book is to trust nobody. In the end, Martyn tricked someone when he was also being tricked himself. This changed how the story could've ended.

You never know if someone is really trying to help your, or just trying to help themselves. People will take advantage of you, and you always need to be on your toes. People who would like this book are people who read murder mysteries and enjoy getting into deep thought. I hope I have encouraged you to read this. What makes this book even better is that its setting is in Britain.

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Oct 24, Haley VanDerMolen rated it it was amazing. In this book Martyn is a confused kid with an alcoholic father. His father, William is always drinking.

He gets violent and when Martyn tried to defend himself he shoved William and his head hit the fireplace with a loud crack and Martyn knew he was dead. He calls his friend Alex, who is also his neighbor. The next day Alex comes over and she decides with him what to do with the body. They grab a sheet of cloth and lay it over him. Then his strict Aunt Jean wants to visit for the holidays. They In this book Martyn is a confused kid with an alcoholic father. They lug his body up to his bedroom and convince Aunty Jean that he is sick. They made a tape of him snoring and put Vapo-rub on his neck so the dead smell went away.

Alex wants to be an actress when she gets older. She is dating a guy named Dean. He is a wannabe tough guy with his motorcycle and his ugly ponytail Martyn wonders why she would ever date him. He is also a jerk. They place him in a sleeping bag and they fill it with rocks so it sinks. The last of his air bubbles drift up and William is gone. Martyn is surprised and then he tells it to Alex, they were also talking about hiding the body. The next day, Alex comes over with tears in her eyes and then Dean follows after her.

He threatens them with the tape recorder and wants the money. He sets a date for them to get the money and leaves. Alex and Martyn made a plan. She takes all the copies of them and destroys them. Dean leaves defeated and angry. Later in the night, the police come over with the report that Dean has gotten into a crash on his motorcycle. It says that his brakes might have been cut. He knew it was Alex who cut them.

The police then were wondering where his dad is. He said that he disappear and has no idea where he is but he does that often while he drinks.

Martyn Pig

The police taken him back to the station. The next day a report comes in that the police found his body with an anonymous tip-off. It also says that the money was taken out of the bank. He thinks it was Alex and her mom who took it because they disappeared. The police told him his dad was dead he did a good job of covering up that he knew he was dead with his tears. He was questioned and he always said a story about him meeting Dean only at a school dance where Alex was. It was from Alex, it said that she got a job in a commercial down in California. She says she is waiting for him to write a play so she can be in it.

It is a great book for people who love mystery and suspense. I give this book a 5 star rating. May 04, Emiliano rated it it was ok. This had a lot of potential to be much better than it actually was. I've only read one of Kevin Brooks' novels before, the desolate yet enthralling "The Bunker Diary", which is one of my favorite books I've read in a while.

So understandably, I had somewhat high expectations for this, despite the fact that this book is much, much older than "The Bunker Diary. I was kind of hooked at the start of this. Kevin Brooks has this way of writing that makes you feel like you are on This had a lot of potential to be much better than it actually was. Kevin Brooks has this way of writing that makes you feel like you are on a rollercoaster ride, and at any second you may come upon an amazing revelation or shocking, gut wrenching twist. The problem is, they never really come. This kind of plods along, and right as it's building, right when you feel the twist coming, the story peaking It was constantly inching forward, yet it ultimately lead nowhere.

I also wasn't a big fan of the writing style. Kevin Brooks was really going for a nihilistic, observational, Chuck Palahniuk-style writing style, but sadly it seemed as if Kevin Brooks had a lot to say, but no real proper way to say it. The overall writing, specifically the poetic, reflective bits just seem so self-satisfied and kind of pretentious. It's supposed to be deep and philosophical, but in actuality they read like late night musings on an edgy 14 year old's Tumblr.

The characters also remain faceless drones who are mere props of deus ex machina. It really feels like the ending was created first, and the characters were just thrown in there. And instead of growing and naturally progressing things, they instead just do whatever is necessary to get us to the already decided conclusion. The motivations make no sense to me. The way things happen, the conclusion, it doesn't make sense to me.

I felt like a bunch of things kept happening for no reason, until the author decided that no more things needed to happen. It sadly made reading this feel like a waste. There was so much wasted potential here. This story really could've gone some amazing places. But instead, it goes nowhere.

I'm just left feeling like I missed something, some detail that would miraculously cause the pieces of this unintentionally fractured narrative to come together. I am still interested in reading more of Kevin Brooks' writing, as maybe reading more of his novels will give me an insight into the choices he makes in plotting his stories and characters.

But needless to say, this is not a book I'll be picking up to reread any time soon. Mar 23, Adam Hattach rated it really liked it. This novel by Kevin Brooks, introduces fourteen year old Martyn who struggles during his horrible daily life. His mother died and he lives with an alcoholic father who is not able to take care of him.

Even worse, his father is a belligerent, abusive alcoholic. It seems like his life can not get any worse. However, it gets much worse when one day his drunk father starts a fight and Martyn accidentally kills him. Now Martyn has a terrible choice to confront reality, call the police and go live wit This novel by Kevin Brooks, introduces fourteen year old Martyn who struggles during his horrible daily life.

Now Martyn has a terrible choice to confront reality, call the police and go live with his horrible Aunt or hide the body and pretend that nothing happened. His choices lead him in down a dangerous path with a lot of suspense and mystery. Even worse he has to deal with growing up and learns the hard lesson about consequences for your actions. Martyn must swim through many complications with difficult choices, he is suspected of a murder and is scared of telling the police what happened.

This mystery novel will open your eyes to new ways of thinking. You might be amazed at what you will discover. I think you should definitely read this novel because this story is filled with mysteries and adventures. Also this story will make you realize how a little thing can kill or cause extremely bad consequences if you try to hide your errors instead of owning up to them. This book gives an important lesson in growing up that is good for any teenager to learn. Overall you should try this lovely and mysterious novel which leads to a shocking plot.

Sep 07, Selan rated it liked it Shelves: A short but moderately interesting read. Martyn Pig is the main character what a name and being a Kevin Brooks book, it's a bit like his other titles. Dysfunctional family once again, his father's a drunk, life's not great, no friends, just accidentally killed his dad - Wait what he accidentally killed his dad? And in a similar way to a character death from the last book I just read, too. Yes, his father is drunk and he loses his temper and tries to hit his son and Martyn has had enough of this A short but moderately interesting read. Yes, his father is drunk and he loses his temper and tries to hit his son and Martyn has had enough of this and pushes his dad and his dad falls drunkenly against the fireplace And he doesn't tell the police immediately.

He's scared, and the only other relatives are his auntie who tried to gain custody of him years ago, and who is apparently worse than his dad was. More incentive not to tell the police what happened. Overall it did keep me reading, it had a great twist at the end no, the twist is not that the dad is suddenly alive the whole time, he really is dead lol what with trying to hide the dad's body and all sorts of thing.

It wasn't amazing or anything but it was rather good. This book is about love, trust, and duplicity. I don't want to give off the story of this book because it is better to go into it completely blind. So I'll keep this short. The character, in my opinion is well-made. He feels so alive.

Martyn Pig Audiobook | Kevin Brooks | www.farmersmarketmusic.com

Like the book is written off of a real person instead of someone purely imaginative. The style of writing is interesting. Kevin Brooks' usage of third person POV really did good for the wholeness of the story. It shares so much, but it didn't share too much. The pacing This book is about love, trust, and duplicity. The pacing and continuity of each chapter is absolutely fluid. I really liked how the story ran for only 9 days!

You heard that right! And that ending, omg! Although the whole premise of the book is not unique and the conclusion can be very easily distinguished, this book deserves a high praise. For in-depth review, check out my blog post on www. Jan 16, SCRM rated it it was amazing. Personalmente ame el libro que es corto y expresa muy bien lo que para mi importa sobre la trama y los pensamientos del muchacho.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am a Y11 student and our teacher made us read this. It was an amazing read. Loads of twist and turns. I loved all the characters, not necessarily because they are kind and nice--but because they have their fates. I think this book is so clearly constructed and the author is quite a odd thinker lol. I just told my parents the plot and they were shocked I am a Y11 student and our teacher made us read this. I just told my parents the plot and they were shocked lol. I love this book, its strange and weird and good.

I liked Martyn because it has a lot of tension and there were jokes too. I decided to read this book because the author has written a very exciting text on the back of the book. But if you like thrillers I can really recommend this book! May 07, Reid Waite rated it liked it. Jul 07, Nina De Grauwe rated it it was amazing. It's been so long since i read it but i'll never ever forget this book, it's so beautiful.

This book was so good really made me want to read more of it. Nov 05, Tina rated it it was amazing. I had never seen an idiot like Martyn Pig. No wonder he has " Pig " in his name. Jul 12, Alexandrialloyd rated it it was amazing. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Kevin Brooks was born in and grew up in Exeter, Devon, England. Kevin Brooks has been in a variety of jobs including: In he published 3 books including: In February he published the standalone book Black Rabbit Summer. As a child, Kevin Brooks enjoyed reading detective novels. He writes most plots of the various books he has written around crime fiction.

He likes mystery and suspence and enjoys putting both of those components into each and every story he writes in some shape or form. Books by Kevin Brooks. Trivia About Martyn Pig.

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