The Other Tale of Pig Tales

(1997)
A Novel by
Marie Darrieussecq

Summary:

"I suspect that any publisher who agrees to take on this manuscript will be heading for trouble," admits the unnamed female narrator of this brash first novel, which is set in France in the not-too-distant future. The narrator works in a beauty/massage parlor and becomes distressed by her gradual transformation into a werepig. Much of this progression is documented by her increasing appetites for food and sex, but also by her ruddying complexion, narrowing eyes and the appearance of a corkscrewing tail (Publishers Weekly).

The Other Tale:

The novel Pig Tales is not just a story of lust and transformation. It is also a story of the role and status of a woman in patriarchal society. The novel tells its readers the issues being faced by a young lady in her day-to-day activities and her continuous struggle in order to lessen her inferiority complex and her fear of being rejected and abandoned by the men of her life and by the society where she belongs. The character of the young lady is a representation of women in various societies who are confronted by power relations and gender issues.