Mother’s Milk by Edward St Aubyn

Mother’s Milk by Edward St Aubyn

It was the cover and the title of this book that peaked my interest but we all know the saying:  ‘Never judge a book by it’s cover.’!  All credit is due to me though…I did finish the book – I’m, therefore, on solid ground when offering up this review and, all I can say is, ‘MEH!’  ?  If you fancy a grandstanding explanation as to how all the woes of the world can be squarely laid at the feet of mothers everywhere, you’ll find it within the pages of this read.

As if the cover and the title weren’t enough to entice me, the opening paragraph served as a fabulous hook:

“Why had they pretended to kill him when he was born?  Keeping him awake for days, banging his head again and again against a closed cervix;  twisting the cord around his throat and throttling him;  chomping through his mother’s abdomen with cold shears;  clamping his head and wrenching his neck from side to side;  dragging him out of his home and hitting him;  shining lights in his eyes and doing experiments;  taking him away from his mother while she lay on the table, half-dead.”

A child describing his own birth!  I thought it was a bold thing to do and such a unique opener which bode well as I thought the author might build on that boldness, but that was not to be.

I became skeptical when the 5 year old Robert’s dialogue did not match his age, he was having adult conversations complete with a fabulous vocabulary.  It all completely unraveled, however, when his 3 year old brother began conversing in the same manner but what really set my teeth on edge was the father’s explanation of his infidelity:  his wife was to blame as she was too busy taking care of his two children to be doting on him anymore…SERIOUSLY!?!! ?  MEH!!!

To be fair, I feel I should mention that this book was shortlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize but, again, from me:  MEH!

I gave this book TWO COFFEE CUPS ☕☕