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A review by jennygaitskell
Milkman by Anna Burns
5.0
This novel is jaw-drop, hold-your-breath brilliant. It is devastating, starkly beautiful, eccentric.
In 1970s Northern Ireland, Middle Sister tells the story of Milkman's sudden and terrifying interest in her. She shows life as a young woman in a divided and violent city, facing fear, gossip and prejudice through small acts of resistance, and without naming any names.
Middle Sister tells her story like a private confidence, in hurrying vernacular. She shares a tangle of events and observations, which dash from tiny intimacies to big politics. Her story switches between fear, darkest humour, and flashbulb insight.
Milkman required my complete attention, and to overcome unease. It took me weeks to read it, but I'm so glad I did. This is a novel I won't (can't) forget.
In 1970s Northern Ireland, Middle Sister tells the story of Milkman's sudden and terrifying interest in her. She shows life as a young woman in a divided and violent city, facing fear, gossip and prejudice through small acts of resistance, and without naming any names.
Middle Sister tells her story like a private confidence, in hurrying vernacular. She shares a tangle of events and observations, which dash from tiny intimacies to big politics. Her story switches between fear, darkest humour, and flashbulb insight.
Milkman required my complete attention, and to overcome unease. It took me weeks to read it, but I'm so glad I did. This is a novel I won't (can't) forget.