A review by noshelfcontrolll
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

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

1.0

I wanted so badly to like this book. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I was really excited by how the book covered so many topics, all while centering Jewish characters. This book fell flat from my expectations, though. Unlike the review blurbs, I did not find any part of this book funny or humorous, and rather I was often made uncomfortable by the grotesque and descriptive nature of Rachel’s narration. Whether it be the habits of her eating disorder, her description of others bodies, or sex, all were met with an off-putting amount of illustration. Her obsession with motherly relationships led to an almost Freudian fantasy being replayed multiple times throughout the novel. As excited as I was to read about Jewish characters, I was also let down by many laws regarding Shabbat and Kashrut being poorly described or plainly incorrect, as well as the sexualization of mikvehs. It felt like Broder’s Jewishness was used as authority to not check that the information she added about religious Jews was correct. I also felt like Miriam was largely used and viewed by Rachel as a sexual object, fetishized for her weight, especially since almost all of Rachel’s inner monologue while around Miriam was sexual and crude. I really disliked Rachel’s character, finding her inappropriate, rude, and dismissive. Additionally, there was no resolution to the novel, and the half-assed I/P discussion prompted by Rachel towards Miriam’s family felt so out of place and awkward. Overall, I was largely unimpressed and weirded out by most of this book.
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