Soviet Milk was such an unexpected delight. I picked up this book having read no reviews and just being entirely taken in by the blurb and the setting as I've never read any Latvian fiction. The novel follows a trio of women: daughter, mother and grandmother in Latvia under Soviet rule. The mother is the central character; her main focus in life is becoming a doctor and we see as she attempts to make strides and developments in gynaecological science under Soviet rule. She's a rule breaker from the beginning of the book as well as deeply troubled with her role as a mother and her own mental health. The book takes a twist when she ends up banished to the countryside and restricted in her ability to practice medicine.

The structure of the book is clever as it slips between the mother and the daughters narrative. I actually found the daughter's narratives the ones I was most drawn to and almost eclipsing the mother's as the centre narrative. The book has no chapters but frequent break points to symbolise the change in narrative and character. This serves to deepen our understanding of the fractured relationship between mother and daughter. The lack of chapters also serves to keep the narrative flowing freely and keep you deeply absorbed.

Where Soviet Milk begins to truly shine though is the symbolism and the parallels that are drawn between the motherland (Soviet Russia) and motherhood. One particular scene has the young girl describe a drawing her mother has made of a baby united with its mother by the umbilical cord and she discusses the happiness this relationship brings. However this is in sharp contrast to her own relationship with her mother that is fraught with distress and distance, often incredibly dysfunctional. We see how the girls mother struggles across the novel and this is reflected in how the Soviet motherland is growing further apart from Latvia.

The book serves as an excellent critique on the Soviet state and communist rule in Latvia. It uses metaphors and allegory to demonstrate how Soviet rule trapped and depressed the citizens of Latvia. How it subdued their culture and life. The women also serve to show how Latvia moved from free state under the grandmother, to Soviet rule under the mother and freedom eventually with the daughter.

Beyond the allegory and political critique this book was just a beautiful written exploration of love and motherhood, of family. It was examined three generations of women and the bonds between them. It was about strong women who challenged the expectations and confines that were placed on them by the state and their position.

This book was an utterly fantastic historical read and fiction book that explored motherhood, family and freedom centered on Latvia under Soviet rule.