Book Review: Disassembly of the Pig by Neal Auch
Title: Disassembly of the Pig
Author: Neal Auch
Release date: April 9th, 2024
*Huge thanks to Neal for sending me an ARC of this one!*
I can’t recall how long ago, but I connected with Neal over on Twitter when some of his artwork was used for various book releases. I think the first one I ever really noticed was for the phenomenal novella, ‘The Mud Ballad,’ by Jo Quenell, which coincidentally featured a dissected pig’s head on the cover.
When Neal announced this as his first release, I had no idea what we would be getting. Was it going to be fiction? Non-fiction? An art book? A collection of his photographs? I really wasn’t sure, but the blurbs had me intrigued and when I cracked this open and read Matthew Stokoe’s fantastic foreword, I knew we would be in for a complex and uncomfortable experience.
Now, I want to caveat my review by first saying – I grew up raising animals. We had chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs. We hunted. From an early age I helped field dress deer, moose, elk and even bear. I also helped when we needed to butcher the chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs. Where I grew up this was all normal to us. I know in the city this isn’t, but this was a different place in a different time. I also used to help my grandpa with his trap line.
From there, I’ll add – in college and university I took a significant amount of anatomy courses – from the micro to the macro – and while doing my post-grad training for my occupation, participated in a human cadaver anatomical dissection lab.
What all of this is supposed to convey, is that I examined the photographs and read the epilogue and afterword from maybe a more analytical perspective than some casual readers? I don’t state this to come off as arrogant or as a braggard, more to just state that much like when I read Stokoe’s controversial COWS, I wasn’t repulsed or grossed out by the elements utilized as I took them to be purely metaphorical. I’m used to the literal. Just prior to writing this review, I had a patient with significant Diabetic ulcer complications. Anatomy – both external and internal – are aspects of my job I experience daily.
So, I went into this art book wanting to see what message Auch conveyed, or rather, what was he trying to say through imagery. And boy, did he have a lot to say.
What I liked: To begin with, the images within this are pristine and so very gorgeous. Yes, they’re of a (as the title states) a disassembled pig and will no doubt repulse, offend and outrage some potential readers, but Neal’s artistry speaks volumes through each of the high resolution images. It’s a start look at the various parts and angles of the animal. Some of the images are incredibly unsettling, for me especially the close ups of the eyes, seeing the ‘humanity’ of them, how similar they are.
And that’s part of the message here that Neal so eloquently and academically discusses in the epilogue. We see the way we view pigs in general, as this gross, shit-covered animal that will eat anything and everything. Yet, if you’ve ever spent time with any pigs, you would know they are highly intelligent, loving and sentimental individuals who love chin scratches, belly rubs and snacks. They’ll oink with glee and elicit short hops of joy when they get called. They’re not that far off from how many dogs react when their owners call for them or call them a ‘good boy.’
The poignant examination of our teeter-tooter relationship with pigs within the epilogue creates a true juxtaposition between the images and how we consume/treat the animals. We love to eat them but still consider them nothing but ‘swine,’ used as a slang word to disrespect people. We don’t care how they’re treated in the slaughterhouses, as long as we get our pork chops, bacon and ham cheaper than last week.
And it’s those two contrasting messages that Neal showcases that really is the true power of this release.
What I didn’t like: The entire package and layout was truly gorgeous. If I was looking for something, and this might be a bit nitpicky, I think I would’ve liked an index of images in the back. There were a number of obvious images/anatomy, but as we worked from outer to inner, there were innards and other bits that I had no idea what they were and it would’ve been helpful to have something saying ‘pg. 13,’ pig liver, or whatever.
Why you should buy this: Currently, Neal doesn’t have this listed for pre-order, so watch his website, which I’ve linked below. As for the ‘why,’ if you’re a huge fan of truly powerful images paired with articulate academic observations, this will be right up your alley. This wouldn’t be a typical book I’d seek out, but once again, it’s one of those books that I devoured (no pun intended) and will remain with me for many, many years. What an outstanding release.
5/5
