Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is a novel about Sofia, a daughter who has traveled to the coast of Spain with her mother Rose seeking a specialist to find a cure for Rose’s limb paralysis. It is a mysterious illness that has plagued her for most of her life, with no apparent cause.

Sofia’s life is on hold while she tries to attend to her mother. This is her somewhat late coming of age story, a deep look into her interior life and her relationship with her mother. Levy is a talented writer and this book is interesting and original, yet disjointed. I was never drawn in enough to care about any of the characters deeply, even Sofia; and the title remains a mystery.