Tiger Milk by Stefanie De Velasco: a review

As with In a Dark Dark Wood, the book I read after something like Ship It was always going to be a blessing. This novel really did shine for me. It wasn’t a bundle of joy emotionally but was a truly fantastic read.

            Tiger Milk, by Stefanie De Velasco, follows Nini and Jameelah over a few months of their lives. They’re a pair of 14-year-old girls living in Germany. Nini was born and raised in Germany, Jameelah was born in Iraq, but grew up with Nini in Berlin. The girls are just reaching their sexual awakening (which I have more to say about later), and their discovering more about the people that they know and love than they ever wanted to know. Love and loss flow through this novel. At times, it’s sweet, but often it’s bitter and painful.

            The first thing that I noticed about this book was its formatting. Generally, it’s no different to most novels I’ve read, but there are no speech marks at all. As a stylistic choice, it made knowing the difference between speech, thought, and narration difficult to distinguish from each other. This is perhaps a book best enjoyed through audiobook, but I can’t say for sure. Perhaps it’s just that I’m easily confused.

            The drink that is the title of the book is something I absolutely want to try, despite knowing that it would likely taste gross. It’s made from milk, maracuja juice, and brandy. It sounds perfectly teenage. It seems like it’s made entirely from things that you could find around your parents’ cupboards (maybe not the juice, but you know what I mean).

            Next up we have spoilers, so scroll until you find the jet-ski bear if you want to avoid this.

            Things are fun for the girls. They hang out with friends at the pool, and under the railway bridge. They drink, they smoke, they party. It’s all general delinquency until one night. There have been arguments between their neighbour Tarik, and his sister, Jasna, because she’s been seeing someone and acting in a way that he deems inappropriate. One night, Nini and Jameelah are on the playground and see the two siblings come on to the playground too. They hide out of the way and witness Tarik stabbing Jasna. This scene absolutely shook me. I was lying in bed while I was reading it, and began sitting up as it progressed. By the end I was bolt upright. I never saw it coming, and could not believe what I was reading.

            Unsurprisingly, there’s a severe mood change after Jasna’s death, and it’s heart-breaking to read. The change is especially apparent in Jameelah. She was bright and generally optimistic, but Jasna’s death changed her entirely. This change is, in part, due to Nini wanting to tell the police what they’ve seen, but Jasna is reluctant to. I feel like there’s possibly something that I don’t understand as to why she didn’t want to say something. However, it was a relief when the police were finally told, and justice was served.

            There’s a phrase that’s repeated throughout the book and it sticks out every single time. The phrase is “God’s rotten Earth”, and it’s originally said by one of their friends near the beginning of the book. I know as a teen, I’d often pick up on phrases my friends said, but I can’t work out if I enjoyed this repetition or found it irritating. I think I’m unsure because it isn’t subtle. It’s really obvious every time.

            Nini and Jameelah occasionally make money by working on the Kurfürstenstrasse, which is the red-light district in Berlin. There’s something deeply uncomfortable about these two 14-year-olds being sex workers, or sexually active at all. I know that’s likely the point, but it’s just truly uncomfortable to read. At 14, teens are sort of starting to feel like adults and they’ll try to act like it, but they don’t know how to yet. Not that any of us are sure how to act like adults, but at 14, there isn’t any experience yet. Being a sex worker at 14 is not the way to act like an adult. It’s so uncomfortable to read. The two girls are still naïve. The way that Jameelah crushes on Lukas really brings it home how young she is.

            This book was brilliant to read. It wasn’t always easy to read, but it was so worth it. There were many painful moments but the emotions that it brought out of me really shows how brilliant Stefanie De Velasco is. I absolutely recommend getting this book. If you’re local to me reading this, then you can find it at the local library.