Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to get this review through the Amazon and B&N censors because seriously … what the actual fuck did I just read?!

I’m not generally a big horror genre fan, but I did like Bird Box and Malorie (including the movie, Sandra Bullock stan!) So I figured I’d try this one on for size. This was definitely horror. Definitely entertaining. Definitely a page turner. But also WEIRD AF. I can’t go into any detail at all because I feel like inadvertently putting spoilers out into the world would be a real disservice to the reader in this case. I can’t even make comparisons to another book it makes me think of because that would totally give it away. I guess even though it was strange and not really my thing, I did enjoy it quite a bit. So if you like weird horror I get the feeling you will really enjoy this. It was fun!

Had I known what this was, I would have passed..not that I’m against re-releases, but no thank you, I mean, a killer pig? A telepathic and psychotic pig at that?!?!

Next time I pass a farm, I may in fact have a nightmare, so thanks for that.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Rey for the arc.

What an absolutely terrifying ride this book was. Josh Malerman’s latest adventure takes the reader against one of the toughest villains to date - a telepathic murderous pig. Mixing both Animal Farm and serial killers, this book was a unique story that I really enjoyed. Pearl starts very quickly and keeps the read enthralled until the last page. However what is the truth and what was real for the characters, that is up to the reader to decide in some cases. I have never read a book like this before and would recommend it to those looking for a new nightmare to have!

Thank you NetGalley for this book!

My love for Josh Malerman has no boundaries. I’ve loved everything he’s written: Bird Box, Goblin, Malorie, Inspection, A House at the Bottom of the Lake, Unbury Carol, and Black Mad Wheel. And now Pearl, which is an absolutely delicious, demented, disturbing book. And I loved every minute of it. Telepathic pig. Sold.

From Goodreads: Go to the farm just outside of town and you’ll hear it. A voice. Inside your head. Or is it?

Come to me…

A voice that makes you want to pick up that axe over in the corner of the barn. And swing it. And kill.

Feed us. Feed us now.

It is the voice of Pearl.

Sing for me. Sing for your precious Pearl…

I mean, come on. A telepathic pig who wants you to kill? Genuis. And because Malerman is such a good writer, it’s not cheesy or poorly written. Pearl is horrifying. The pig is so creepy with his one bad eye and sitting like a human. The events are grotesque and bloody. The characters are torn down and put back together by Pearl. And when Pearl gets into your head, there’s no stopping him. This book was just so absurd and hilarious. And so much fun.

I have read books by this author in the past knowing his books are listed as horror., and have enjoyed them. Though it’s a genre a I tend to avoid when possible. This latest release had a completely different feel. It’s not that it was overly scary, just bizarre. Not a good fit for this reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine.

If you're looking to get lost in a book, then this is the perfect title. The best description would be a psychological thriller with the main focus on how a telepathic pig named Pearl is able to terrorize a town.

Man. This was a tough review to write because I really enjoyed Malerman's "Bird Box". But this book felt so disjointed and, quite frankly, boring. It did not hold my interest and I truly struggled to get through it. I do not recommend.

I love the premise of this book. It makes for such an interesting read and the author did such a good job. The story was so well-written and I loved the dimension.

This was definitely different than I thought it would but so fun. I’ll never look at pigs the same way.

I don’t want to give this one away and the crazy perspective the book is based off of.

I enjoyed this one and recommend it for those looking to read something probably completely different from anything you’ve ever read.

I have loved everything Josh Malerman has written and this is no different! This book was true horror and so graphic. I had such a hard time putting it down, that I ended up reading it all in one day. Everything about this book was unsettling.

This is the type of science fiction that I really enjoy; it isn't too far out there and hard to visualize. I really enjoyed it and it proves that Malerman has a gift.

I'm not even sure where to start with this one. It was one of the weirdest books I have ever read.

And I kinda loved it.

Charlottes Web meets Cujo? I don't even know how to describe this wild tale of a psychotic, telepathic pig.

Pearl the pig only has one eye - but Pearl sees and knows EVERYTHING. He can control those around him to get and do what he needs and you slowly realize why this pig is the way he is. It's a gory and gruesome trip down this swine's memory lane and I'm always in awe of this authors wickedly strange imagination.

I couldn't put this one down. There were definitely some parts that were horrifically gross, and some a bit too weird even for my taste - but all in all - the subtle message that you are left with is one that I won't soon forget. And Pearl is going to be one pig who will haunt my nightmares for a long, long time.

I'm a big fan of Malerman. I love how each book is a whole new, unique journey. Upon finishing PEARL, I'm still not sure whether it was political allegory, a diatribe against the farming industry, or straight up trippy horror. Whether its one of those, or all three, I was there for it! I mean how can you say no to a story about a cruel, manipulative psychic hog sending humans to do his bidding? I was creeped out throughout. My only quibble is that the two pairs of teenage boy characters seemed to have an overlap; did we really need all four?

Josh Malerman has had two of his limited edition books re-released this year. The first is Goblin, and the second is Pearl, which was previously released as a limited edition by Cemetery Dance with the title, On This, the Day of the Pig. With this reissue by DelRey, Pearl is more accessible to readers, and like other Josh Malerman novels, this is a reward to the readers.

Pearl takes place on a farm outside of Chowder, Michigan, just down the road from Goblin. The novel starts on Kopple farm where Aaron and Jeff are visiting their Grandpa. Jeff goes out to the pigpen and sees Pearl, a pig with one eye that sits like a human and gives everyone an uneasy feeling. Pearl starts to talk to him, telling him to kill one of the other pigs. Jeff, a seventh grader, cannot help but obey. This is the beginning of Pearl really starting to wield his power, the pig has telepathic abilities and can make people do whatever he wants them to do. There has always been an uneasiness on Kopple’s farm, people driving by get a bad feeling that something is going to happen on that farm, and after Jeff kills the pig for Pearl, the day of Pearl’s reign begins.

There is no question that this is a horror novel. Pearl is definitely a mad tyrant and the creature turns to slaughter within pages. We are witness to the killing or capture of anyone who tries to cross Pearl, and as more and more people show up to the farm, Pearl has more people to control. As the story unfolds, we learn more about Pearl, and how he has really been in charge of the farm for years, making the farmers teach him everything about the world so that he can bring the world down, but he also has an ability to make people feel like it is their idea to do things for him. The manipulation that Pearl uses is taught to him, and so when the day comes and Pearl takes over, he makes some people think that it was their idea the entire time.

Pearl is one of those stories that hooked me from the beginning. Sometimes with horror you have to suspend belief from the very beginning, and Josh Malerman lets us know from page one that this is about an evil telepathic pig, as if he is letting the reader know from the start that you are either going to come along or be done. It does not feel like this should work at all, mostly because Pearl is still stuck on the farm, but it does because people keep coming to him, and he keeps using them for his plans. Malerman does a good job balancing the present day and the history of the reasons why some of the people are arriving. Pearl gets a fleshed out backstory and proof that he has been in charge of people for longer than anyone cares to admit. In the end, Pearl is a novel that I will want to revisit and recommend because there are no other novels like this. Pearl not only manipulates the minds of the humans and animals around him, but he takes over the reader’s mind as well.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several books by Josh Malerman, and I am super excited to have found a new favorite by the author! Pearl was terrifying yet captivating, and I read the entire book in one sitting. The plot, the characters, everything was so interesting, and although I was grossed out at times, I couldn’t stop reading. I read the horror genre often, but I struggle to find books that really get to me and freak me out. Pearl was certainly creepy, and I’m a little bit afraid of pigs now. I really, really enjoyed this one overall!

Content warning for blood, violence, death.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC of Pearl by Josh Malerman!

If you want to read a gory story about a pig with a bad eye, this is the one for you. It was definitely NOT for me.

Pearl is a pig. A pig on a farm. A pig who is not like any other pig. He can manipulate people to do whatever he wants them to do. He has learned over time how to do it and he wants to show the world what he can do.

The same morning, Pearl has decided this, three teenagers have embarked on a road trip to check out the farm and learn more about this pig that some people say "can talk". Yes, the kids believe this is probably crazy but once they get there, things get scary pretty fast.

The farmer's daughter as a teenager had her own weird experiences with Pearl, so she left for Brazil as soon as she graduated. Due to financial issues, she is back in town and with her two children in tow. When she can't reach her father she goes to the farm looking for him and later on, the grandchildren go looking for their mom.

This one was too out there for me.


Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Like most Malerman stories, I was sucked in right at the beginning. It really reminded me of a horror-ified version of Charlotte’s Web. And, it is very feminist friendly, which is refreshing in this male dominated genre
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If you read Malerman’s other work: Goblin recently and liked it you’ll probably like this one more. It has the goofy townies like Goblin but after reading Goblin I was craving a full Malerman book instead of the strung together short stories.

This was such a creepy read!! Pearl is a telepathic pig… yes, I said telepathic pig. Which is much more freaky than it sounds. And our protagonists are basically a small group of people against Pearl. The male pig, btw.

Sheesh, the moment I found out we were up against a pig, I started to have my doubts on the whole story. But holy cow, (sorry, there will be farm references in this review!! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️) I was hooked in quickly and had trouble putting this down. Actually, embarrassingly enough, this got into my head so much that I had a nightmare that night. I know, I, lover of all things horror, had a nightmare about the contents of this book.

Here we have some completely psychological horror and it really worked for me. Will this be freaky or scary to everyone?! No!! But if you can get past the telepathic pig and just immerse yourself in the content, it will start to get to you. Then you’ll be thinking about the pigs and even the rest of the farm, including the animals that have dark staring eyes. It’ll be on your mind the next time you pass a farm, any farm…. And it’ll make you wonder about what they’re thinking. *shiver*… 😳😳😳

Everything Josh Malerman writes is written is such a smooth, easy to read voice, so that should go without saying so for this book. The tale will burrow into your brain slowly and sneakily, and make you want to continue reading. Damn you Pearl!!! Sorry, I digress. This is a good read and will give you the creeps if you let it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, and Josh Malerman for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion!!

Will be on my blog and Amazon shortly.

My first thought upon finishing this book was that I will never EVER look at a pig the same way again! Josh Malerman is quickly becoming one of my go to authors and this story solidified that theory even more for me. Have you ever heard of a singing pig? Or a pig’s voice inside your head guiding your thoughts? Yep, me neither.

I am a big advocate of going into some books without knowing too much in advance so that’s what my suggestion would be to every reader. If you are wondering if this book will make a good fit for your reading style, I think if you are a fan of the horror genre this would be a great book to pick up. My other suggestion would be for anyone who is a fan of Stephen King’s horror works to pick this one up.

Trigger warnings for blood, gore, body horror, etc. in this book so if you are feeling a bit wimpy, don’t read this book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Publishing for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.