Milkman by Anna Burns

You never learn the name of the narrator of Anna Burns’s prize-winning novel, Milkman. But then again virtually all the characters in the book are unnamed. They have titles instead: maybe boyfriend, longest friend and tablets girl; the narrator’s siblings include first sister, third brother-in-law, wee sisters. You get the picture.

The story is set in what is probably Belfast in 1978, the time of the troubles, with Republican paramilitary ‘renouncers’ and unionist forces creating sporadic outbursts of violence, terror and reprisals. Our eighteen-year-old narrator has already lost a brother to the conflict and a sister to exile, so mostly she keeps her head down and her mouth shut. Reading as she walks, she immerses herself in pre-twentieth century literature and becomes one of those odd, ‘beyond the pale’ people and the despair of her mother.

When she attracts the attention of ‘the milkman’, an older married man and paramilitary leader, she inadvertently draws criticism from her neighbours and family. The man is clearly stalking her, but nobody believes her when she says they aren’t involved, while the milkman makes veiled threats and hidden cameras click. The tension slowly builds and the girl becomes increasingly subject to the stress of the situation, while around her the ‘troubles’ continue.

Anna Burns does an incredible job of describing the pressure on a young girl caught up not only in a terrible political environment, but of sexual predation as well. The community around her is quick to judge and offers no safe haven, but help comes from unexpected quarters. The continued threat of violence might have made the novel grim, but the narration is lively, original and oddly witty.

I enjoyed the story of maybe boyfriend’s ballroom dancing parents and their escape from Belfast to international fame. We have the prodigal wee sisters and their surprising vocabulary and reading matter. The Blower Bentley supercharger that takes up space in maybe boyfriend’s living room, and which may or may not be the part of the car stamped with the wrong kind of flag.

I found Milkman a challenging read, the narrative style takes bit of getting used to, but it’s a compelling read nonetheless. The writing completely immerses you into the mind of a quirky but troubled heroine and recreates through her eyes a time of political and social turmoil - a novel that stays with you long after the last page.

Posted by JAM

Catalogue link: Milkman