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Milkman

Anna Burns

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What Members Thought

Mar 26, 2019 Lindsey Z rated it did not like it

Save yourself the torture. You've been warned. ...more

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Jan 29, 2025 Johanne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2025-books, all-time-favourites, bookerwinners, irish-authors-2025, 2025tbrstacks

This book is so great. I loved everything about it.

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Apr 20, 2021 Annie rated it it was amazing

Milkman, winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, is one of those books that people feel strongly about: they love it, hate it, or just give up after the first chapter.

I’m in the first camp: I loved it and will be thinking about this novel for a very long time. It’s an amazing exploration of totalitarianism, sexual harassment, and what happens to individuals in a violent “us and them” society.

It’s a challenging book, no doubt. No character has a name. The story takes place in an unnamed part of an Milkman, winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, is one of those books that people feel strongly about: they love it, hate it, or just give up after the first chapter.

I’m in the first camp: I loved it and will be thinking about this novel for a very long time. It’s an amazing exploration of totalitarianism, sexual harassment, and what happens to individuals in a violent “us and them” society.

It’s a challenging book, no doubt. No character has a name. The story takes place in an unnamed part of an unnamed city in an unnamed country, but we soon realize we’re in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

In Milkman, nothing is specifically said out loud: there’s references to the wrong faith, the wrong bar, the wrong movie, and even the wrong butter. The story is constantly churning with rumors about breaking some unspoken rule, aligning oneself with the wrong people, or drawing unwanted attention to oneself. Doing things wrong means masked men showing up at your door to take you away. Everyone seems to have a dead sibling or a brother-in-law who died in an explosion. The threat of violence is always present; fear and paranoia vibrate through the book.

The plot itself is announced on the first page: there’s a rumor that the young narrator had an affair with an older paramilitary man called Milkman, who is later shot by Somebody McSomebody. Most of the book circles back and around the narrator’s confusion, fear, and annoyance with her stalker. But she not only resists Milkman, she also resists her hypervigilant neighbors and family who are policing her every move.

The narrator’s voice is quite unique: relentless, repetitive, smart, annoyed, tragicomic, exhausted, tender, and eventually hopeful. Listening to the audiobook is a must with this novel. The excellent reader, Bri Brennan, brings this complicated teen to life in a wonderful way. It’s not exactly Derry Girls, but the audio version highlights the humor as well as the sinister events.

All in all, a uniquely challenging but unforgettable novel about timely and important topics. ...more

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