Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Milkman by Anna Burns

5 reviews

rory_john14's review

dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Terminal illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Mass/school shootings

notthatcosta's review

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I find this one tough to review because there were aspects that I absolutely loved (the world building and the social commentary around the Troubles). However, I found the writing style almost unbearable at points (the stream of consciousness prose, the long-winded way of addressing characters, the timeline jumps).

The bottom line is that I didn't really like a single character in the book, and even the protagonist made some infuriating decisions at points and overall my feeling was 'this place is not for you, you are above these people and you need to get the hell out of there' - which although a simplification, seemed preferable to sticking around in such a place. Also, her mum was a total arsehole and I don't know if I was supposed to like her, but I certainly didn't. 

Overall, I'm glad I read it, and I feel like most of the aspects I took issue with were at least strong intentional stylistic choices made by the author, and I can always respect a big swing.

Oh and ALSO, the random 11th hour gay subplot was egregious. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

readbycarina's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Stalking, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Death of parent

Minor: Mental illness and Abandonment

sib_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

literatureandlace's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“As we jumped the tiny hedge because we couldn’t be bothered with the tiny gate to set off on our running, I inhaled the early evening light and realised this was softening, what others might term a little softening. Then, landing on the pavement in the direction of the parks & reservoirs, I exhaled this light and for a moment, just a moment, I almost nearly laughed.”
-Milkman by Anna Burns

I am not sure I can gracefully organize my thoughts on this book. I feel clumsy trying to find the words to put this story into a concise summary then turn around and tell you why I loved it, but I did love it. It was strange and dark yet eerily familiar. Its ambiguity of setting and character were its intrigue and its strength, while the small glimmers of historical context left me clawing at the pages to grasp on to its meaning.

I thought this book was beautiful and middle sister was a flawless choice of narrator as she navigates the politics and dangers of the world around her. Anna Burns created something that will unsettle me and intrigue me for a long time to come.

Like this review? Follow me on Instagram to see more reviews and books:
@Literature.and.Lace

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Stalking