Description
Set on a farm in the Eastern Cape, and taking place over one day, the novel is a wrought meditation on motherhood and our destructive relationship to the Earth. A former geneticist, Kate is now an award-winning maker of organic cheese. She relies on the farm's routine to hold steady as her day teeters on a knife's edge: her estranged daughter is in London, waiting for her conjoined twins to survive surgery, while keeping her own mother away. Meanwhile, Kate's employee Nosisi's son is undergoing initiation. Forbidden to have contact with him during this traditional passage into the world of manhood, she anxiously awaits his return.
About the Author
Dawn Garisch is an author and medical doctor. She is founding member of the Life Righting Collective. She has published seven novels, two collections of poetry, short stories, a non-fiction work and a memoir. She has produced five plays and a short film, and has written for television. Her poem 'Blood Delta' won the DALRO prize (2007); 'Trespass' was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize in Africa (2010); 'Miracle' won the EU Sol Plaatje Poetry Award (2011); and 'What to Do About Ricky' won the Short.Sharp.Stories competition (2013). Her novel Accident was longlisted for the Barry Ronge Sunday Times Fiction Award (2018). In 2023 she published her first collection of short stories What Remains.
Reviews
There is a lot in this slim book - art and science, family and culture, the workings of the heart and of the body" Kate Sidley, Sunday Times South Africa; Breaking Milk is a brave, engrossing and troubling dive into psychology, motherhood, and the injustices that bind and separate us. This haunting story will bring readers face to face with their own fears and desires. Riveting and powerful. Ann Morgan, author of Reading the World; A tenderly told and unforgettable novel weaving together the lives of two South African women, Kate and Nosisi, as they confront grief and loss, yet find reasons to look forward to tomorrow. Unfolding across a single day, Breaking Milk is a deeply involving, unstoppable read. Elleke Boehmer
Awards
Short-listed for Sunday Times South Africa / CNA Literary Awards 2021.
Book Information
ISBN 9781739751586
Author Dawn Garisch
Format Paperback
Imprint Heloise Press
Publisher Heloise Press
About the Author
Dawn Garisch is an author and medical doctor. She is founding member of the Life Righting Collective. She has published seven novels, two collections of poetry, short stories, a non-fiction work and a memoir. She has produced five plays and a short film, and has written for television. Her poem 'Blood Delta' won the DALRO prize (2007); 'Trespass' was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize in Africa (2010); 'Miracle' won the EU Sol Plaatje Poetry Award (2011); and 'What to Do About Ricky' won the Short.Sharp.Stories competition (2013). Her novel Accident was longlisted for the Barry Ronge Sunday Times Fiction Award (2018). In 2023 she published her first collection of short stories What Remains.
Reviews
There is a lot in this slim book - art and science, family and culture, the workings of the heart and of the body" Kate Sidley, Sunday Times South Africa; Breaking Milk is a brave, engrossing and troubling dive into psychology, motherhood, and the injustices that bind and separate us. This haunting story will bring readers face to face with their own fears and desires. Riveting and powerful. Ann Morgan, author of Reading the World; A tenderly told and unforgettable novel weaving together the lives of two South African women, Kate and Nosisi, as they confront grief and loss, yet find reasons to look forward to tomorrow. Unfolding across a single day, Breaking Milk is a deeply involving, unstoppable read. Elleke Boehmer
Awards
Short-listed for Sunday Times South Africa / CNA Literary Awards 2021.
Book Information
ISBN 9781739751586
Author Dawn Garisch
Format Paperback
Imprint Heloise Press
Publisher Heloise Press
