John and Lorraine in The Pigman are not immediately attractive figures with whom to identify. They are out of sympathy with home and school, disturbed even, so that when they encounter old Mr. Pignati, who is senile, they are delighted to have him for a fairy godfather but unwilling to be responsible in their attitude to him. In their total absorption in their own needs they neglect his. This is an abrasive, tragic encounter: an unpleasant book in some ways, but the issues are starkly real.

"Themes for the Salad Days," in The Times Literary Supplement (© Times Newspapers Ltd. (London) 1969; reproduced from The Times Literary Supplement by permission), No. 3501, April 3, 1969, p. 355.∗