"this is my book and i am writing it by my own hand. in this year of lord eighteen hundred and thirty one i am reached the age of fifteen" and so begins Mary's account of the events of 1831.
Mary is one of four daughters (Violet, Beatrice, and Hope) who work hard on their family's farm in England. Violet is beginning to discover her sexuality, Beatrice has a love of Scripture despite not being able to read, and Hope is short-tempered. Mary speaks her mind...a bit too much for her own good. She often suffers abuse at the hands of her father.
On Easter Sunday, the girls sneak out of the house to watch the sunrise. Supposedly, if they make a wish at this time, it will come true. Mary wishes her life would change.
Shortly thereafter, Mary is sent to work at the vicarage as a housemaid and caretaker for the vicar's wife. Though nearby, the vicarage is a world away from her family's farm and life as Mary knows it. Living at the vicarage may not have been the change Mary wished for.
The Colour of Milk is a quick read and is divided into five parts: spring, summer, autumn, winter, and spring. I was reminded of Marie-Claire Blais' Une saison dans la vie d'Emmanuel (A Season in the Life of Emmanuel). Une Saison tells the story of a French-Canadian family at the turn of the 20th century. The story is told from Emmanuel's perspective (he is the sixteenth child). Une Saison is part of the anti-terroir literature in Quebec--a number of Emmanuel's sibling leave the family farm for the city and Mary's work at the vicarage and exposure to books also distances her from an agricultural life.
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