“At the time, age eighteen, having been brought up in a hair-trigger society where the ground rules were – if no physically violent touch was being laid upon you, and no outright verbal insults were being levelled at you, and no taunting looks in the vicinity either, then nothing was happening, so how could you be under attack from something that wasn’t there? At eighteen I had no proper understanding of the ways that constituted encroachment.”

Beach house, Cloudy Bay, Bruny Island. June 2021.

Milkman by Anna Burns

Anna Burns has pulled off a stunning achievement here. The novel emerges inside the head as (almost) a single stream of consciousness. It is equal parts funny, shocking, tender and intense. Weaving a tale of personal agency in a complex political and social dynamic - Northern Ireland during the Troubles - Milkman is mightily effective.

I suspect that few readers will sit on the fence with this one, either loving or loathing it. Count me among the former. I enjoy the 'all-in' nature of the narrative voice, and if you're comfortable with the 'norn iron' voice in your head, it works beautifully.

Perhaps I'm biased, as the repetition of skimming over events with different lenses and the constant, stringent internal monologue, enjoyment of running and shame (!) of reading while walking resonated with me.

All this allows Burns to apply a persuasive critique of sectarianism, conformity, violence, power, powerlessness and gender imbalance without ever hectoring or preaching. A great read!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2