This Man Booker Prize 2018’s winner is set in the 1970s that throws light on the troubles faced in Northern Ireland. With unnamed characters in a nameless city the protagonist, an 18-year-old girl is stalked by a Milkman who is married and moves around in the city in his paramilitary cars. The young narrator has the uncanny habit of reading while walking so as to avoid unwanted attention but in the bargain, this habit becomes the focus of everybody’s attention. Military violence as the backdrop of the novel they end up becoming the talk of the town. People in the town judge her for having a relationship with this man. This aspect is ignored by the young woman though.

Anna Burns has comical wit in her narration. Terrorism, sexual harassment, oppression, fury, social disharmony, humour, cultural and political views color the plot beautifully. There is never a dull moment and mystery revolving around it keeps one engaged till the very end.