Curing the Pig

Illustrated by Emma Setford.

Morgan has almost convinced himself that self-imposed redundancy, forcing him to retreat to the family farm, is nothing to be depressed about. No, it's an opportunity to let his creative powers flow. Why not become a writer? Why not write a blockbuster? What could be easier? After all, he's chosen the topic of his book: women.

His optimism shrivels and dies at first sight (and smell) of the childhood home from which he spent so many years trying to escape. And then there's his mother...

This is not to be a peaceful homecoming. One bizarre event follows another. Over-indulgence in Mam's lethal home-made wine followed by a dinner of brightly coloured toadstools and Morgan is lead into a weird and wonderful inward journey where he is forced to readdress the foundations of his life and answer the most elusive question: "In the end, at the end, what is the one thing that men really want?"

Curing the Pig is both an original and hilarious tale where the author's intelligent voice is witty, satirical yet thought-provoking to the last. Accompanied by an array of colourful yet strange characters, all set against the backdrop of he Welsh Marches – an in-between place, not quite English not quite Welsh, where folk-tales are still alive and kicking – Curing the Pig is a magnificent debut. There is no doubt that we will be seeing a lot from Liza in the future.