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A review by inkdrinkerreads
Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez
4.0
Aside from providing me with a second literary reference to my hometown of Leamington Spa in 2020, ‘Rainbow Milk’ also offers up a remarkably assured debut about race, class, sexuality and freedom across generations of contemporary Britain. Raw, intense and unflinching, this semi-autobiographical debut shares the coming-of-age story of a gay, black man, raised as a Jehovah’s Witness but now working as a sex worker in London.
Opening in the 1950’s, Mendez introduces us to Norman and his pregnant wife, Windrush-era Jamaican immigrants, who grow increasingly disillusioned at the grim reality of England at that time: Industrial, racist and absolutely not the postcard-perfect place they had been promised. Rather than dwelling here though, Mendez moves us to the turn of the millennium to meet Jesse, a descendent of the Windrush generation and our true protagonist. Escaping from a broken immediate family, a repressive religious community and the desolate, disempowered Black Country, Jesse flees to London but finds himself at a loss for a new centre of gravity, turning to sex work in order to create new notions of love, fatherhood and spirituality. The final shift forward is to post-Brexit 2016 where the sexual and racial dynamics may be a little more familiar. As Evaristo did so extraordinarily in ‘Girl, Woman, Other’, Mendez skilfully captures the zeitgeist of each era, infusing his novel with an abundance of exuberant cultural references (Sugababes! So Solid Crew!) that felt very nostalgic for me as a Brit of a similar age to Jesse.
Despite its many detours, at its heart, the novel is a tender story about a vulnerable, endearing young man. It is a story about resilience and relationships, particularly those between men. It goes to some very dark- and very graphic places- but, ultimately, it is a hopeful and redemptive story. I enjoyed it and admired it in equal measure. However, I do think it could have done with tighter editing: the ending drags, and the detailed sex scenes, though important in establishing character, verged on gratuitous at times.
These minor criticisms aside, Mendez is a wonderful writer and I am very excited about what he does next. The audiobook, brilliantly performed by the author himself helped to bring this exuberant, passionate story to life, making me a little homesick for my West Midlands roots this Christmas.
Opening in the 1950’s, Mendez introduces us to Norman and his pregnant wife, Windrush-era Jamaican immigrants, who grow increasingly disillusioned at the grim reality of England at that time: Industrial, racist and absolutely not the postcard-perfect place they had been promised. Rather than dwelling here though, Mendez moves us to the turn of the millennium to meet Jesse, a descendent of the Windrush generation and our true protagonist. Escaping from a broken immediate family, a repressive religious community and the desolate, disempowered Black Country, Jesse flees to London but finds himself at a loss for a new centre of gravity, turning to sex work in order to create new notions of love, fatherhood and spirituality. The final shift forward is to post-Brexit 2016 where the sexual and racial dynamics may be a little more familiar. As Evaristo did so extraordinarily in ‘Girl, Woman, Other’, Mendez skilfully captures the zeitgeist of each era, infusing his novel with an abundance of exuberant cultural references (Sugababes! So Solid Crew!) that felt very nostalgic for me as a Brit of a similar age to Jesse.
Despite its many detours, at its heart, the novel is a tender story about a vulnerable, endearing young man. It is a story about resilience and relationships, particularly those between men. It goes to some very dark- and very graphic places- but, ultimately, it is a hopeful and redemptive story. I enjoyed it and admired it in equal measure. However, I do think it could have done with tighter editing: the ending drags, and the detailed sex scenes, though important in establishing character, verged on gratuitous at times.
These minor criticisms aside, Mendez is a wonderful writer and I am very excited about what he does next. The audiobook, brilliantly performed by the author himself helped to bring this exuberant, passionate story to life, making me a little homesick for my West Midlands roots this Christmas.