Milkman tells the story of an 18 year old girl living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The novel is set in the late 1970s, at a time when large parts of the Catholic community were in effect run by the IRA, and most families would have had young men involved in the struggle in one way or another, with many of them being captured, injured or killed. The story is told entirely in the first person, through the eyes of an 18 year old girl, who is being stalked by a mysterious older man called Milkman; he is a high level IRA officer, or renouncer as they are called in the book. Neither the girl, nor any other character, nor any place including the city where the action takes place, is given a proper name, creating a atmosphere which combines claustrophobia and confusion with a strange kind of innocence and childishness. But why does the girl read 19th century English novels while she walks through the city? Is the Milkman really a milkman, and if not, who is the real milkman? What is the effect of no one having a proper name? And why are the wee sisters so clever? Join Rupert and Charlie as they discuss Anna Burns' brilliant novel, which won the Booker Prize in 2018.
