Item: Pearl
Rating: 3.00
Author: quirkycat

by Josh Malerman

From Josh Malerman, the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie, comes the legend of Pearl, a strange new monster unlike any other in horror (previously published as On This, the Day of the Pig).

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL • “Daring readers should find this tale of a malevolent telepathic pig to be a memorable experience.”—Booklist (starred review)

There’s something strange about Walter Kopple’s farm. At first it seems to be his grandson, who cruelly murders one of Walter’s pigs in an act of seemingly senseless violence. But then people in town begin to whisper that Walter’s grandson heard a voice commanding him to kill.

And that the voice belongs to a most peculiar creature: the pig named Pearl.

Walter is not sure what to believe. He knows he’s always been afraid of the strangely malevolent Pearl. But as madness and paranoia grip the town and the townspeople descend on Walter’s farm with violent wrath, they begin to discover that true evil wears a human face.

When I heard that there was a new book by Josher Malerman (author of Bird Box) coming out, I knew I had to dive in and read it! Here's the thing – Pearl is actually a re-titling of another story by Malerman, called On This, the Day of the Pig.

Consider Animal Farm meets Charlotte's Web, only in this case the pig is psychopathic and telepathic. That is the recipe used to create Pearl, and it is an exceptionally disturbing read. I'll admit that it was not one of my favorites (hence the shorter review style).

Honestly, I really struggled to get through this one. I was so surprised, as I had enjoyed a couple of other books by Malerman at this point. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes one ought to be a bit more careful before grabbing up a book by a known author?

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Pearl

by Josh Malerman

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Nov 10, 2021

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