I'm getting pretty good at judging whether what I've got left of a book will last me to the end of my commute. Unless, of course, the train dies at an obscure little station that I normally never see because my train goes through it so quickly. Which is what happened a couple of weeks ago and my commute in the morning took me an hour longer than usual. Thus I needed a new book for the journey home and I went to the book drop at work (which is a brilliant thing to have) to find something to read.
As I'm now racing to catch up on the 100 Books in 2011 Challenge, I was looking for an easy read. Pig Island by Mo Hayder is certainly that. It's a good five hundred pages but was quick to get through. Joe Oakes is a journalist who specialises in uncovering hoaxes of a spiritual or supernatural kind, after having been taken in by Malachi Dove when he was a young man. His girlfriend, Lexie, comes with him, thinking it is some sort of holiday.
Joe is investigating a video of a devil seen wandering around Pig Island, which is the home of a reclusive cult led by Malachi. When he gets to the island he finds Malachi has left the cult, lives on the other side of the island and keeps his privacy by means of an electric fence.
All the cultists are locked in their church and burnt and it seems like the work of Malachi. Joe goes to investigate and discovers that Malachi had a daughter. This daughter,Angeline, has a tail and appears to be frightened and fragile. Joe takes her back with him. Lexie, until recently a receptionist for a Harley Street plastic surgeon, recognises that what Angeline has is the remnants of a conjoined twin and thinks this will get her back in with her former employee.
Course, not that simple and Angeline turns out to be what everyone thought she was.
It was ok. Neither the characters, Joe or Lexie, are particularly sympathetic. Lexie, especially, is quite unpleasant. Joe seems ok until the point of view switches to Lexie and he doesn't treat her very well. It wasn't scary but it was nicely creepy in places with one or two genuinely shocking moments. The plot was handled ok but I could see the big reveal at the end coming from just after the halfway point. If you're looking for brain candyfloss, this would be just the thing.
Joe is investigating a video of a devil seen wandering around Pig Island, which is the home of a reclusive cult led by Malachi. When he gets to the island he finds Malachi has left the cult, lives on the other side of the island and keeps his privacy by means of an electric fence.
All the cultists are locked in their church and burnt and it seems like the work of Malachi. Joe goes to investigate and discovers that Malachi had a daughter. This daughter,Angeline, has a tail and appears to be frightened and fragile. Joe takes her back with him. Lexie, until recently a receptionist for a Harley Street plastic surgeon, recognises that what Angeline has is the remnants of a conjoined twin and thinks this will get her back in with her former employee.
Course, not that simple and Angeline turns out to be what everyone thought she was.
It was ok. Neither the characters, Joe or Lexie, are particularly sympathetic. Lexie, especially, is quite unpleasant. Joe seems ok until the point of view switches to Lexie and he doesn't treat her very well. It wasn't scary but it was nicely creepy in places with one or two genuinely shocking moments. The plot was handled ok but I could see the big reveal at the end coming from just after the halfway point. If you're looking for brain candyfloss, this would be just the thing.
1 comment:
Possibly a library pick rather than a buy, I think.
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