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A review by thesawyerbean
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Where would the Medusa's case history begin and end? Was she shocked, devastated, appalled to discover she was no longer admired for her beauty? Did she feel de-feminized? Would she walk through the door labelled 'Ladies’ or the door labelled 'Gentlemen’? 'Hommes' or 'Femmes', 'Caballeros' or 'Señoras'? I began to wonder if she had more power in her life as a monster. Where had I got to in my own life by trying to please everyone all the time? Right here. Wringing my hands.
This book is the epitome of no plot, just vibes. It feels so ethereal, like heat radiating off hot sands. A phantasmagoria you wade through, crashing into waves of metaphors and metaphysical themes, floating just like the medusas in this story. Nothing seems to be happening, and yet you are thoroughly entranced.
The writing is poetic, thought-provoking and lyrical - there were so many moments I sat in awe at the weaving of the extended metaphors into a wider context, and so many moments that clasped me by the throat.
I confess that I am often lost in all the dimensions of time, that the past sometimes feels nearer than the present and I often fear the future has already happened.
A magical book, one you have to sit and digest as you read to get the most out of.
She had catalogued over a billion words but she could not find words for how her own wishes for herself had been dispersed in the winds and storms of a world not arranged to her advantage.
This book is the epitome of no plot, just vibes. It feels so ethereal, like heat radiating off hot sands. A phantasmagoria you wade through, crashing into waves of metaphors and metaphysical themes, floating just like the medusas in this story. Nothing seems to be happening, and yet you are thoroughly entranced.
The writing is poetic, thought-provoking and lyrical - there were so many moments I sat in awe at the weaving of the extended metaphors into a wider context, and so many moments that clasped me by the throat.
I confess that I am often lost in all the dimensions of time, that the past sometimes feels nearer than the present and I often fear the future has already happened.
A magical book, one you have to sit and digest as you read to get the most out of.
She had catalogued over a billion words but she could not find words for how her own wishes for herself had been dispersed in the winds and storms of a world not arranged to her advantage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail