The Milkman in the Night

The Milkman in the Night is a black comedy telling the story of a handful of residents of post-Orange Revolution Kiev drawn together into a surreal murder mystery.

Young mother Irina is forced into selling her breast milk to corrupt politicians who believe it holds the secret to eternal youth. Dima, a sniffer-dog handler at Boryspil airport, steals vials of a suspicious substance from the bag of a passenger and finds himself on the run from some shady characters. Veronika has befriended an eccentric widow who has had her husband stuffed and placed, as if alive, in his favourite chair. Her husband, a pharmacist with a penchant for illicit potions, is murdered at the beginning of the novel setting off a complex chain of events that by the end will have impacted on everyone we meet.

Through a cast of extremely likeable characters thrown into ever more unlikely situations, the novel offers a fascinating insight into the poverty, corruption and astounding alcohol consumption of modern Ukraine. If you're a fan of surreal humour you'll probably love this book.