A review by booklywookly
Milkman by Anna Burns

5.0

I am told not everyone was happy with Milkman winning the prize but my god if this wasn’t the best book featured in it, 2018’s must have been one hell of a strong longlist. 

Our 18 year old protagonist tries to avoid being interesting. She doesn’t want to attract attention or become a target. However, her life takes a turn when she starts getting stalked by Milkman, a mysterious and apparently a highly influential man. Rumors start circulating about her relationship with Milkman, and suddenly, she becomes “interesting” in the worst possible way.

Nowhere in this book did they mention the book being set in Northern Ireland during the “Troubles”. Yet we know it is. The knowledge of that period and war would help appreciate the atmosphere of this book, certainly. However, even if it were to be set in some fictional Northern Petoria during the “Problems”, wouldn’t make it any less enjoyable. 

Plenty of colorful characters. Middle sister, eldest younger sister, first brother in law, third brother in law, ma, maybe-boyfriend, Milkman, a milkman, tablet’s girl, longest friend, Somebody McSomebody, informers, renouncers, beyond the pale issue women, and more. But my favorite character? “Gossip”. Deserves to be recognized as a character on its own because boy what a powerful role it plays throughout. In a tightly knit community, rumors can shape lives, and silence can be as dangerous as speaking out.

Milkman is a powerful exploration of fear, conformity, and the struggle for individuality as you witness the impact of silence, the weight of societal expectations, and the cost of being “interesting.” This was a sensory delight. Right from page one, I was visualizing small Irish towns and their stifling atmosphere, kept reading it in Kelly Macdonald’s voice, and pictured Milkman as that villain from the good the bad the ugly. 

Have a feeling, those who liked this book also enjoyed Trespasses, and Prophet Song, right? 

This book also revealed to me my liking for a book written in stream-of-consciousness style, often meandering and circling back on itself. This could have been my seventh or eighth such book in  a year or so and it feels good to finally have at least one answer to “what kind of books do you like?”