Mainly clear. Low 68F. Winds light and variable..

Mainly clear. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.

Have you ever wondered what happens to an item when you lose it? Where does it go? Where does it ultimately end up? I want to tell you about a book that may just have the answers.

The story I’m going to tell you about today is J.K. Rowling reverting to what made her famous. After the Harry Potter books were completed she wrote books for adults. But in 2020 she wrote “The Ickabog” for young people, and last year she gifted us with “The Christmas Pig.” “The Christmas Pig” is only for young people like “Toy Story 3” and the Harry Potter books are only for young people (i.e., they’re for anyone who loves great storytelling).

“The Christmas Pig” introduces us to Jack, a 6-year-old boy who is greatly attached to his small toy pig that is made of the same material as a soft towel. The pig’s name is Dur Pig (or D.P. for short). Dur Pig got his name because when Jack started to talk he said “Dur pig” instead of “the pig.”

D.P. likes doing exactly the same things Jack does: crawling under bushes and into hidey-holes and being thrown up in the air, Jack by his dad, and D.P. by Jack.

They go on vacation to the beach together, and always snuggle together at night. But one snowy, stormy December afternoon, while riding home from the store in the back seat of the car, Jack’s stepsister Holly, in a fit of rage and jealousy, throws D.P. out the window. Jack’s grandpa pulls the car over to go out and search, but comes back empty-handed.

Jack’s family gives him an early Christmas present in the form of a replacement pig to compensate for D.P., but of course this new Christmas pig isn’t the same.

You can imagine Jack’s distress, and yours truly (who had a similar stuffed animal) was heartbroken. But like the Harry Potter stories, this book infuses magic into the mundane. On Christmas Eve (the night for miracles and lost causes), Jack decides to set out on his own to find D.P. But before he can leave his bedroom the Christmas Pig comes to life and tells Jack about a place that he can take him to retrieve his lost friend.

From there, the novel is firmly a quest story. Jack and C.P. visit a sprawling warehouse where items have been mislaid; a wasteland where disposable items end up; a cleverly-named place that contains items you don’t really miss but you’re annoyed are missing called Bother-It’s-Gone; and a glittering city comprised of items that are truly missed. And there is rumor of an island full of beloved items where Jack is convinced D.P. must be.

J.K. Rowling’s staggering imagination is on display in this book. She makes the reader believe in every magical place and conceit that she devises. But there is also great terror, and loss, and sacrifice in this story. The stakes are sky high and Jack’s determination may not be enough as there are forces trying to prevent him being reunited with D.P.

I read this story aloud to my wife and by the end I had to keep pausing because my heart was in my mouth and my eyes were leaking tears. I intended to save this review for the end of the year, but like “It’s a Wonderful Life” this story is too good to only read at Christmas.

You can borrow “The Christmas Pig” and other J.K. Rowling novels with your PINES library card.

Brian Latour is the branch services coordinator for the Calhoun-Gordon County Public Library.

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