The Pigman; pages 1-68 (Jessica)

First off, I am enjoying this book more than expected. The book begins with John writing the first chapter, Lorraine the second and it goes back and forth. I thought this was kind of odd and it did not make me want to read the book when I first started. This book seems to be a lot about character development in the beginning. Lorraine seems like the smart girl, that is not trusted or respected by her mother. John, however seems like the bad boy who doesnt care about rules and doesn't mind disrespecting his parents (especially his father) ever once in a while. Later in the story, when Lorraine describes when she and John met he seems a lot more than a badboy. The book continues with John, Lorraine and two of their friends; Dennis and Norton having a prank call marathon. When it's Lorraine's turn she happens to dial a man named Angelo Piginati. She pretends like she's a charity and gets him to donate ten dollars. To do this she has to talk to him for a very long time. He seems very lonely the way he talks about his wife who is away in california. Even though she feels bad, she and John go to his house to pick up the check anyway. When they get there they notice how messy the house seems, even from the outside. When they get inside they see that its mainly full of old junk that no one really needs. They stay with the talkitive Mr. Piginati longer than expected. He welcomes them to look around and make themselves at home. While they are exploring they find Mr. Piginati's collection of pigs. They range from marble to glass, big to small, and fat to thin. He explains that he started giving his wife these pigs so she could be reminded of him. The reason the book is called The Pigman is because of these very pigs. When they are about to leave he asks them to go to the zoo sometime but they refuse. That night as Lorraine is hassled by her mother once again so she decides she wants to lose some stress and skip school. She tells John and they arrange a trip to the zoo with the Pigman. That morning they met him at the zoo at ten o'clock. She realizes she doesn't really want to be there and she believes she is experiencing somethings that prove it, or signs. At the zoo they meet The Pigman's bestfriend, Bobo, the monkey. This is when they realize how lonely he really is. After the zoo they begin to visit The Pigman more often. One day when they were exploring his house even further John discovers a funeral bill with The Pigman's wife's name written on it. That's when they realize his wife is not visiting California but is really dead.
-Jessica