Milkman

by Anna Burns

Milkman is set in Northern Ireland during the 1970s, at the height of the Troubles. The narrator is an unnamed 18-year-old girl, known as middle sister, living in an unnamed city sympathetic to the republican cause. Milkman, a high-ranking paramilitary officer, takes an interest in the girl, beginning to stalk her and offer her unwanted car rides. Rumours spread that the girl is having an affair with the married Milkman, straining her relationship with her mother and the wider community. These rumours compound as the girl continues her relationship with her "maybe-boyfriend," who she has been dating for a year but struggles to commit to. As Milkman's stalking becomes more intense, he makes veiled threats of killing maybe-boyfriend if she does not break up with him. The girl becomes more withdrawn and she and maybe-boyfriend drift apart.