Review: Milk Fed by Melissa Broder [General Fiction]

 

Rating: 4/5 stars. CWs for book: eating disorders, parental abuse, mentions of homophobia. "The word golem, in English, means shapeless mass. But in Hebrew, it means unfinished substance." The golem is one of the central motifs of this novel, and in some ways, the book itself is an "unfinished substance" as well - but not in a bad way. It's left open-ended and nebulous, but that's the idea - in life, there aren't any endings (except death, which would have gone against the optimistic flair of the novel), but ever-constant change and development - and Rachel, the protagonist of this book, has certainly changed for the better. The title is possibly the most well-chosen title I've seen in a long time. As it suggests, this is a novel about being mothered. What it definitely isn't, is a novel about mothers. It's a novel about seeking that primal, maternal comfort from anyone and anything you can when the woman who birthed and raised you is only ever a source of poison. As a novel in the "literary fiction" sort of category, it's certainly not for everyone. What it is, however, is a love letter. A love letter to food, to eroticism and sapphic love, to Judaism, and ultimately, to yourself.  Amazon Afflilate links for Milk Fed paperback: UK | US | DE