Who Would Like This Book:
If you love dreamy, atmospheric fiction with beautiful prose and symbolism running beneath the surface, Hot Milk is sure to enthrall. Levy’s writing transports you to the sun-drenched, slightly off-kilter landscape of southern Spain, all while exploring the labyrinthine dynamics of a mother-daughter relationship and a young woman’s search for autonomy. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy literary fiction that prompts reflection, fans of coming-of-age tales, and anyone curious about stories that blend myth with modern life.
Who May Not Like This Book:
For some, the book’s surreal, elliptical style and lack of a straightforward plot might frustrate - especially if you prefer a story with likable characters or neat resolutions. The symbolism can feel heavy-handed, and the characters’ behaviors may come off as confusing or unrelatable. If you’re not drawn to inner psychological landscapes or stories where “not much happens” on the surface, this one might not be your cup of tea.
About:
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is a novel that delves into the complex relationship between Sofia and her mother, Rose, as they travel to Spain seeking treatment for Rose's mysterious illness. The story explores themes of identity, dysfunction, love, and mythology, all set against a dreamlike and atmospheric backdrop in Spain. The narrative is narrated by Sofia, a young woman struggling with her own life while caring for her mother, and the interactions she has with various characters in Spain lead her on a journey of self-discovery and realization.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book contains content warnings for themes related to mental illness, dysfunctional family dynamics, trauma, emotional abuse, and sexual encounters.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance in the novel, particularly characterized through Sofia's relationships with Juan and Ingrid.
From The Publisher:
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, Hot Milk moves "gracefully among pathos, danger, and humor" (The New York Times).
I have been sleuthing my mother's symptoms for as long as I can remember. If I see myself as an unwilling detective with a desire for justice, is her illness an unsolved crime? If so, who is the villain and who is the victim?
Sofia, a young anthropologist, has spent much of her life trying to solve the mystery of her mother's unexplainable illness. She is frustrated with Rose and her constant complaints, but utterly relieved to be called to abandon her own disappointing fledgling adult life. She and her mother travel to the searing, arid coast of southern Spain to see a famous consultant-their very last chance-in the hope that he might cure her unpredictable limb paralysis.
But Dr. Gomez has strange methods that seem to have little to do with physical medicine, and as the treatment progresses, Sofia's mother's illness becomes increasingly baffling. Sofia's role as detective-tracking her mother's symptoms in an attempt to find the secret motivation for her pain-deepens as she discovers her own desires in this transient desert community.
Hot Milk is a profound exploration of the sting of sexuality, of unspoken female rage, of myth and modernity, the lure of hypochondria and big pharma, and, above all, the value of experimenting with life; of being curious, bewildered, and vitally alive to the world.
Ratings (5)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (19):
Read It (6) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (10) | |
Did Not Finish (1) |
1 comment(s)
The pace was extremely slow and lacked any action which ended up with me feeling bored and putting the book down.
What can you read after
Hot Milk?
About the Author:
Deborah Levy is the author of seven novels: Beautiful Mutants, Swallowing Geography, The Unloved, Billy and Girl, Swimming Home, Hot Milk and The Man Who Saw Everything. She has been shortlisted twice each for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Man Booker Prize. Her short story collection, Black Vodka, was nominated for the International Frank O'Connor Short Story Award and was broadcast on BBC Radio 4, as were her acclaimed dramatizations of Freud's iconic case studies, Dora and The Wolfman. She has also written for The Royal Shakespeare Company and her pioneering theatre writing is collected in Levy: Plays 1. Her work is widely translated. Deborah Levy is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is also the author of a formally innovative and emotionally daring trilogy of memoirs, a living autobiography on writing, gender politics and philosophy. The first two volumes, Things I Don't Want to Know and The Cost of Living, won the Prix Femina Etranger 2020. The final volume, Real Estate, will be published in Spring 2021.
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