This debut novel tells the story of two best friends Nini and Jameelah, fourteen-year old girls on the cusp of adolescence, in Berlin.

Quite frankly, as with some people you meet in life, I knew from the first page that Nini, Jemeelah and I would not get on and wouldn’t become best friends. And so, as you sometimes do, I took my leave after a mere 22 pages.

What didn’t I like? I didn’t like the way it was written – why wasn’t there any punctuation to indicate dialogue? Maybe it’s my age, and I am somewhat older than the characters in this book, but I think punctuation to indicate dialogue is great. It helps old chaps like me keep up with what’s happening.

And that’s another thing; this story (albeit it I only stayed briefly) had no resonance for me, a (nearly) 46 year old British male. The two girls inhabit a different world to my own and display a moral code that differs massively to mine. That’s what novels are for, I hear you cry, to take you away from your normality. Yes, very true. But, you’ve got to like the people you read about and, in this instance, I took an immediate dislike to them.

Perhaps my strong dislike is good; De Velasco’s novel has provoked an intense reaction from me and, maybe, an author is thrilled to achieve any reaction from their readers.

I did like one thing – I really liked the Berlin references, mainly because I am to visit the city for myself next week. But, sadly for Nini and Jameelah, I didn’t want to visit Berlin through the pages of “Tiger Milk”.

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 0.5* out of 5.0*

PUBLICATION DATE: September 2014

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