A review by natashak1
Pig Iron by Benjamin Myers

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The story of John-John is undoubtedly an enthralling one, and I found myself enamoured by his character early on, but it's the combination of this and his murky past that is explained to you a morsel at a time that truly lets you fall into this story and not want to leave. The story is split between the present, told to us by John-John, and the past, told to us by his mother, and the flitting between the two keeps you both engaged and intrigued by how the opposing plot lines overlap. The build to the final act is perfect, and even when you have cottoned onto the more unexpected revelations within the novel, you keep reading just in case you find another little nugget of information. 
I also had the additional pleasure of being from County Durham, so the setting and prose used have a lovely familiarity that captured my attention from the first page. I have always loved books that used dialect and throw around regional knowledge as though it expects you to know what the main character does, and this is an exemplary example of that. 
I did remove a wee half-star however, thanks to the slightly unsubtle nature of some of the characters. Sure, they were interesting and added something to the story, but in parts certain characters lacked the subtlety that would allow this story to be a bit less black and white.   
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