Milkman by Anna Burns

OK, so a literary, Booker contending novel about the Troubles in Northern Ireland might sound a bit heavy going, but this great read is anything but.

Yes it has an atmosphere of Claustrophobic Paranoia, and yes, people die, are beaten, persecuted, tarred and feathered and it's based in a time when any hope of a resolution must have seemed pure fantasy.  Particularly told from the viewpoint of a young woman, her situation is at once, frightening, oppressive, bizarre and at times hilarious.  But our narrator has a wonderfully authentic, quirky and yes, funny voice.

Set, I assume, in the 70s, in an un-named Republican enclave in an un-named Belfast, a cast of very real un-named characters are brought alive in an unusual narrative.  The cast are identified by their relationships to others or simply by nicknames - a device which in other hands might make them feel remote, but I found myself becoming very involved in their day to day lives.

If I have a criticism, it is that at some stage about half-way through, the narrative seemed to get bogged down in the narration and I felt for a while like we were stuck in a looping riff from which there was no easy way out - but daylight appeared, the tale moved on and overall it was a different, educational, moving and funny read.

If being different is enough to win the Booker, then this might be just different enough to have a chance.  It is good enough for me to seek out Anna Burns for future reads - recommended.

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