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Milkman

#1 IRISH TIMES BEST IRISH BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY
By Anna Burns
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Milkman by Anna Burns is set in a nameless city and follows an eighteen-year-old girl navigating her life amidst the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The story is woven around her unsettling interactions with a mysterious figure known as the milkman, whose inexplicable interest in her begins to affect her reputation and relationships. The novel explores themes of power and the pervasive nature of social and political tensions.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate a deeply immersive narrative exploring themes of societal pressure and personal identity. Set against the backdrop of an unnamed city divided by political tension, it offers a unique voice and perspective, creatively capturing the intensity of life during a conflict. It's ideal for readers who value intricate storytelling with nuanced characters and a focus on the psychological impacts of living in a contentious environment.

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The 2018 Man Booker Prize winner reissued with a bespoke Liberty fabric cover.

2018 Man Booker Prize winner reissued with a bespoke Liberty fabric cover

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Liberty fabric covered editions bring classics from the Faber backlist together with important modern titles, putting them in conversation and celebrating both the history and the future of Faber & Faber.

In 2019, Milkman, winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, will be reissued with a bespoke Liberty fabric cover, created uniquely for Anna Burns; Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar will be reissued as a hardback featuring a Liberty fabric from the year of the novel's first publication (1963).

In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous.

Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Milkman by Anna Burns is an evocative tale set amidst political tension in Northern Ireland. Critics praise Burns' innovative prose and the novel's capacity to capture a community riddled with paranoia and gossip. The book's exploration of identity and silence in a threatening environment has garnered acclaim, though some readers find the style challenging. Overall, it is regarded as a powerful and thought-provoking work.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571355075

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 September 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main - Liberty Edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 146.0mm

Height: 225.0mm

Weight: 640g

Pages: 368

Collections

Anna Burns Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction

About the Author

Anna Burns was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is the author of two novels, No Bones and Little Constructions, and of the novella, Mostly Hero. No Bones won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and was short-listed for the Orange Prize for Fiction. She lives in East Sussex, England.

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