Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation [Paperback]

Martin Millar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2009

There’s a megalomaniac professor digging a hole outside his flat. His small stake in the amphetamine market in Brixton is being threatened by a mysterious Chinese man. And the Milk Marketing Board has taken out a contract on his life. Welcome to the bizarre, obsessive world of Alby Starvation.
Alby’s doctor refuses to believe he’s allergic to just about everything (which he is), especially milk. But when Alby soon discovers that his ongoing ailments are directly linked to the consumption of said product, he gives it up and is cured. Only thing is, he goes on to suggest this remedy to a number of other people suffering from milk allergies. In Millar’s surreal backyard, the Milk Marketing Board sees sales slump to an alltime low. So there’s only one thing left to do: put out a contract on Alby Starvation. Now Alby must save both his life and his precious comic collection.
In Martin Millar’s surreal tale of the urban counterculture—a world full of shoplifting, deaththreats, paranoia, and video game arcades—Alby’s frantic struggle to avoid being shot falls somewhere between Irvine Welsh and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A neurotic British hypochondriac is at the center of Millar's frenetic, eccentric novel, first published in the U.K. in 1987. [R]agged paranoid Alby Starvation barely makes ends meet in his career dealing speed in Brixton, and he's constantly suffering from intense stomach pain. When he determines the cause of his internal discomfort is a severe allergy to milk, he creates a media firestorm about how milk could be potentially poisonous. Dairy sales plummet and the Milk Marketing Board takes out a contract on Alby's head. Enter lonesome hit woman June, who apparently isn't the only person gunning for Alby: a cryptic Chinese man with a hidden agenda has it in for Alby, too. Calamity ensues as Alby becomes intimate with June and begins to fear he may have contracted AIDS. The dizzying array of characters and perspectives whips Millar's madcap story into a potent blitz that runs at full throttle through the satisfying conclusion. Fans of Irvine Welsh will love Millar's singularly entertaining tale of suspicious minds. (Feb.)
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Review

"A work of rare genius and truly cult, it deserves a place on your book shelf next to Hubert Selby Jr.'s Last Exit to Brooklyn."

Product Details

• Paperback: 169 pages
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press; Original edition (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593762275
• ISBN-13: 978-1593762278
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Martin Millar always delivers, February 7, 2009

By 

B. Palmerini - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation (Paperback)

I have read nearly ever Martin Millar book he's put to paper, and not a single one has disappointed me yet. I was so excited to find out some of his books are being re-released after being out of print for years. I had to track down my copy of Milk Sulphate, and Alby Starvation through expensive used sellers. I am always shocked to find these books are not more widely known.

The story of Alby Starvation is worth the buy, you'll finish it in a day if you start. It's the tale of allergies, hitmen, hamsters, drugs, and comics, all told with an honest candor, while completely throwing you for a loop. It's ridiculous, it's awesome, it makes you think, and it makes you laugh. I recommend all of his books. Start here or pick up the Good Fairies of New York, or Suzy, Led Zepplin and Me.....among others and take a trip

4.0 out of 5 stars Madness, Mayhem, And Milk--A Novella Of Unrelenting Eccentricity, November 18, 2010

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation (Paperback)

Anything goes in the demented imaginings of Martin Millar. Finally receiving some mainstream success from the delightful "Wolf Girl" saga, I was eager to check into his back catalogue of titles. "Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation," first released in Britain in 1987, is quintessential Millar. A novella of bizarre genius, "Milk" contains all the earmarks that Millar would come to perfect--dozens of interconnected characters, rambling internal monologues, quick cut editing between stories, overlapping time frames, and enough wacky mayhem to propel several novels.

Our protagonist, Alby, is a low level drug dealer whose best friend is a hamster. Alby, an unprepossessing loser who lives for comics, achieved some notoriety when exposing a major milk allergy epidemic. Now Alby lives in fear (and hypochondria) as a hit has been ordered on his life. With Milk Board assassins, warring video gamers, a Burmese martial artists, an enigmatic Asian businessman, a put-upon store manager, and a rogue professor (among dozens of other characters)--Millar juggles countless personalities in this erratic and eccentric tale. Ultimately, the individual components are fascinating and funny--but I'm not entirely sure there is a cohesion to the various plot threads.

At times riotously funny, "Alby" is a comedic journey that will keep you entranced. You can finish the brief volume in one sitting, and you might decide to do that. If nothing else, Millar has crafted a tale that will likely propel you forward to see what other bizarre antics he gets up to. Funny, offbeat and entertaining--that's a pretty effective threesome. Slight, but "Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation" hints at greater rewards as Millar's oeuvre progresses. KGHarris, 11/10.

4.0 out of 5 stars nice one, April 15, 2009

By 

Ryan Van Baalen "Ryan" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation (Paperback)

so this is my second millar book, and now i'm on a quest to find his other titles at my library.

the main character of the book is a total dork...but that's why i like him. the dude's got this pet hamster and his beloved comic book collection, and he's constantly living in a world of paranoia. But then, maybe he should be since he's got some plant-loving, people-hating assassin after him. he's like some weird version of kramer (off seinfeld)...except he sells drugs...i mean, i can totally picture kramer saying "well, i'm off milk!" and slamming down his glass on jerry's counter.

but the book's even better cuz there's an entire cast of characters who are so completely quirky, that you cant help but laugh just a bit. my favorite is some dude named Wu, who practices meditation while at home so he'll be in some sort of zen-like state when he plays video games at the aracde.

and the book reads so fast, that even if you don't like it, you'll be finished with it before you can stop yourself.