Year of the Pig

Following a tumultuous winter, Renee and her friends Savannah, Alex, and Cal are closing out their sophomore year of college, but plans for an idyllic summer are quickly shattered. After finding the strength to end her engagement to Russ, Renee is shocked when a disturbing telegram arrives. How she handles the impending crisis, and faces past demons and doubts, is complicated by troubling revelations, mysterious visitors, and romantic entanglements. Then a deep secret that won't stay buried threatens to ruin everything. Year of the Pig is the sequel to Alleycat, Sue Armstrong's debut novel. The story continues Renee's struggle for independence, and her growing understanding of what friendship and love really mean for her. It comes down, ultimately, to family. There are two kinds of family-the group of people you are born into and then the ones you choose to call family, connected by a strong sense of loyalty, friendship, and love. The special relationship shared by Renee, Savannah, Alex, and Cal has grown into the second kind of family. Renee is ready to move on after finally facing her past relationship with Russ, a man who controlled her actions even from another country. Anxious and shy, she's ready to be on her own but of course, it's not that simple. Alex, quiet and reserved, has fallen in love with Renee but his inexperience inhibits his actions. Cal is outgoing, forthright, and interested in Renee beyond the platonic relationship they share. Savannah, Renee's best friend, tries to offer balance and clear thinking as Renee struggles with her feelings for the three very different men in her life. The story begins at the Alleycat Diner, the place where Renee and Savannah first met Cal and Alex in January--but now it is five months later.