Milkman

This book was difficult to read because of the style in which it was written. Only two people in the large cast of characters are given anything resembling proper names: Milkman, a paramilitary man who is stalking the narrator (who is referred to as middle sister), and Somebody McSomebody, a borderline stalker. Everyone else is referred to by their relationship to middle sister or their place in the community. So you have characters like third brother in law, the man who doesn't love anybody (also known as real milkman, because he is in fact a milkman, unlike Milkman of the book's title), and the issues women, a group of feminists. Places are also named in this style at least part of the time, and certain activities like reading while walking, which middle sister does so that she doesn't have to be mentally present for the stress of living in her repressive society.

Although the city and the country are not named, it's clear that the story is set in 1970's Northern Ireland in the midst of the Troubles. The political situation dominates life to the extent that people's imaginations are stunted—anything the least bit out of the ordinary is either denied or looked on with suspicion. The paramilitary “renouncers” run middle sister's part of the city and hold kangaroo courts to punish anyone who deviates from the approved way of conducting their life. Middle sister's ways of coping with this include reading while walking (19th century or older literature only), running by herself or with third brother in law, and an ambivalent relationship with maybe boyfriend. When Milkman appears on the scene, obviously interested in her, her coping strategies are not adequate protection.

The style made it hard to get wrapped up in this book, but I eventually got comfortable and began to enjoy it. One of the things I admired was how beautifully the discomfort of being the object of unwanted attention was evoked. Middle sister feels she can't complain about or object to Milkman's attentions because nothing physical has happened and therefore she would be accused of complaining about nothing. But she's in a double bind, because even though nothing physical has happened, townspeople have noticed the meeting between Milkman and middle sister and blown it up into a rumor and then full fledged gossip that they are having an affair.

I also realized about halfway through the novel that the odd writing style had the effect for me of making this society seem more removed from familiar cultures than it would have if it had been explicitly set in Northern Ireland and people had proper names and were described in every day language. I read this as a dystopian novel for much of the time because of that, which I think is interesting.

Overall, I liked this book a lot, but found the style to be a significant barrier for at least half of it until I settled in.

From the first page I was filled with rage and fear and contempt. Then about halfway through things started shifting, there were some unexpected turns, I was still afraid but the rage was less and the contempt was near gone. By the last page I was addicted, swooning, riding that what-an-awesome-book high.

I have no qualms admitting that most of my reading is via audio. Long walks , commutes, makes it an ideal format to absorb a good story. The form of distribution of the tale (eye vs ear) I usually feel is agnostic to the tale itself but every now and then it is important. In the case of Scalzi's Head On series it is fundamental in driving one of the main sub plots (Is the protagonist male or female?) But in other cases a good narrator can help or hinder a good/bad book. In The Milkman's case I am so happy I listened to it. It is now a cliche' to talk about Irish lyricism in writing but listening to Milkman just reinforces such beliefs in rhythm of repetition, with slight modification at each iteration, in the mixture of love and revulsion to a Belfast (or Derry I'm not that good) accent vs a South of the Border accent. The setting of the Troubles is a fascinating time for me which I have started to learn more about through Adrian McKinty Sean Duffy's series [b:The Cold Cold Ground 13008754 The Cold Cold Ground (Detective Sean Duffy, #1) Adrian McKinty https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355027843s/13008754.jpg 18170309]. The lack of proper nouns works well especially when I noticed that the only name mentioned is that of the family dog. The story, I think, takes second fiddle to the historical context of the tale, and how, tribalism can cause such misery in people's lives.

Read this in an effort to expand my horizons to include more lit fic. I was blown away by the amount of levels this book functions on. The lack of proper nouns is a great tool for highlighting the gray space the narrator occupies in her relationships and in her homeland. The setting of 1970s Northern Ireland is interesting enough without using it to explore the pressures of conformity, especially those placed on women. The surreal, dreamy-journalistic quality to the writing adds to the intentional vagueness that permeates the whole novel. It's a challenging read, one that definitely made me feel like I was working to understand, but like a good workout, I feel really good having completed it.

Milkman by Anna Burns won the Man Booker Prize a couple of years ago and it's no surprise. It's an impressive achievement of voice and, at the same time, of social commentary. I've seen complaints about its lack of a plot, and it's true that the central conflict could probably have been presented and resolved in a short story, but there is so much more to admire here than just the plot. The narrator is a young woman who has a boyfriend (or a “maybe-boyfriend”) but she is also being stalked by a “Renouncer”—a member of the IRA, presumably, opposed to the British occupation of Northern Ireland. Instantly, rumors abound that she is having an affair with the Renouncer, and no one will believe her denials. There are many wonderful side-plots as well, including her relationships with her boyfriend and her mother, also with her siblings, and with others in the community. I listened to the beautiful audiobook of this novel, which helped me get through it, but I also borrowed a copy from the library so I could also read some of it on the page. I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I had only read it, because the pages are dense with type—long paragraphs, no dialogue breaks, syntax that on the page seems to go nowhere. But on the whole, I liked it very much.

A dense, but rewarding read. The narrator is an unnamed young woman living in an unnamed city in - we assume - Northern Ireland at the height of its political strife. She escapes in literature, burying her nose (literally, as she indulges in “reading while walking”) in lit classics. Her determined attempt to live life as quietly as possible, however, fails when “Milkman”, the nickname given to a feared, influential, middle-aged (and married) “renouncer”, sets his sights on her. The narrator is (linguistically) very clever, and often amusing, though in emotional pain. The hidden rules that govern her society, one of renouncers and informers, with very little allowed for political neutrality, defines what is normal. Conformity, even when it results in personal anguish and misery, is demanded (and “reading while walking” is frowned upon). Women face additional restrictions, with women's rights decried (a band of “feminists” are regarded as strange and dangerous, though allowed to continue their meetings in the end). Such precarious living, especially for those who choose to be (at least in action) politically neutral. If the premise intrigues you (as it did me, though the synopsis at the back of the book does not do the story full justice), and you're looking for a different kind of read, I highly recommend this book. “...you do that reading-while-walking and you look nearly-blank and you give nothing which is too little and so they won't let go and move on to the next person....”Dense ==> Both in content and form. The paragraphs are very long, often more than a page, and chapter breaks are few and far in between. This is not a book to read when the mind is tired, which is why I took much longer than expected to complete this book.

ok this one was a bit tricky for me— overall, i think it was good/ok. there are long tangents throughout, which can feel unnecessary, but then absolutely amazing. there were times where what i was reading felt excessive, and i wondered whether or not things could've been left out altogether. i also felt like there was SO much going on the entire time.

A cautionary tale of a people so tied down with complex politics and social conventions, that rumors become so oppressing that no truth can break them, should one even have the strength left to fend them off.

Frustrating at times, because of it's very meandering nature, but also very moving and brilliant at times, with its stream of consciousness and its lists and repetitions. It definitely could have been a bit tighter though.

I loved all the more cheerful side characters, with their names like wee sisters, third brother in law, maybe-boyfriend. And I am very happy the book didn't end where it almost ended. That would have been too depressing.