Martyn Pig

The boundaries of acceptable subject matter in books for young people have moved a lot recently, but the concealment of a dead body must be a first in a young adult book. This is the pivotal factor in Brooks’ debut novel (nowhere does it say that it is aimed at a youth market), as Martyn Pig, aged 15, becomes trapped in a tangled web of deceit woven when he does not immediately report the death of his brutal, drunken father. The warp and the weft of the story consist of Martyn’s accidental involvement in his father’s death intersecting with clever, talented Alex who proposes a way in which events may be turned to Martyn’s and her advantage.

Martyn is an avid consumer of crime novels and television series, and these form part of his terms of reference as he ponders how matters have become so complicated: in stories complications are solvable but in reality everything is much more mixed up. The voice of narrator Martyn is well-captured by Brooks in a style that is direct, questioning and makes credible a series of bizarre circumstances.

While Martyn struggles with the complexities of his situation, there are also some very funny moments involving his Aunty Jean who comes to visit and insists on seeing her brother who has been dead for almost two days. How Martyn and Alex deal with this and with the threats of biker Dean who discovers what has happened to Mr Pig, and how Martyn ultimately deals with his predicament make for an absorbing read.