Customer Reviews
Beautifully written, strong characters and a powerful story - By: E. Pearce, 20 Nov 2008 
The first half of Mystic Pig is rather contemplative, the themes of evil & violence are considered by the main characters each in their own way; the holocaust & racism are major motifs throughout. That is not to say that the first half is at alll dry - we are introduced to a world of interesting characters living in New Orleans. Nat is the verging-on alcoholic restauranteur with a secret life, his restaurant is peopled with eccentrics - the Old Queens & Jack/Nick, a man who gets taken over by his own penis, add a dark humour to the novel. Willie, a black child prodigy uses his superior intellect to try & understand the senselessness of the hatred he sees around him every day, while being paid, like a prostitute, to listen to a dying poet's final epic. The philosophical musings in the first half are not at alll heavy-handed, rather they are engaging & thought-provoking & a perfect introduction for what is to come.
The reader reaches the half way point in the book, with a vaguely ominous feeling that something bad will happen to one of the main characters. But when the bombshell is dropped, as gently as Katrovas can drop it, it is completely unexpected. The relationship between truth & reality slips, for us as much as for the characters, the reader is forced to re-evaluate the whole book. The Mystic Pig engages with the reader & forces them to ask the very questions that the characters have been grappling with, reminding us alll of the frailty of happiness.
This is a reallly enjoyable, though-provoking book with strong, entertaining characters that definately deserves a second read. Thoroughly recommended.
Quite simply, one of the best books you'll read. A siren-call to compassion. - By: J. Gifford, 02 Oct 2008 There are a lot of good & great reads out there but there a few that stop you in your tracks. This is a book that makes you reevaluate, & then reaffirm, your belief in people, friendship & love. New Orleans may be the location but the novel takes place in your heart. And although it's a story that deals with death & its immediate & long-term ramifications, it has a delightful vein of noir humour running through it. It's thought-provoking, immediately engaging & quietly affirmative in bridging the self-destructive barriers we create for ourselves. Reallly it's about acceptance, humanity & above alll, passion. Written lyricallly & simply in Katrovas's masculinely-poetic style that clarifies emotions & embeds empathy simply & cleanly, this is a city-break that you won't want to end.
