Reviews with content warning for Violence - Young Mungo

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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

439 reviews

belfrybatz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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owenatkinson's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Some bits were hard to read, but I felt genuine emotion and compassion throughout. It felt very stifling.

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dylanc6's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

this book broke me. i am devastated. it hurt to read. it is very well written, and the characters are interesting and unique, however, i would have a hard time recommending this book to anyone i know. i don’t want to put them through the pain of reading this book. i’m not sure if the few bright spots outweigh the many dark ones. at the very least, this book made me grateful that i grew up in a family that protected me from harm, and that i’m a gay man in this century. i’ll be thinking about this book for a while.

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tesslw's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Having read Shuggie Bain whilst on a trip to Edinburgh last spring, and having actually picked up Young Mungo whilst I was there shortly after it was released, I felt it was finally time for me to delve back into Douglas Stuart’s Glaswegian landscape. Whilst this has many themes reminiscent of Shuggie Bain (class divides, deeply rooted sectarianism between Catholics and Protestants, forbidden queer desire and the demands of masculinity, just to name a few), for me, I think this takes top spot.

During his formative years amongst the Glasgow tenements, Mungo’s family are impoverished but proud protestants - his mother (an alcoholic in denial who is frequently absent) and his siblings; Hamish, leader of a violent gang who brutalise local Catholics, and Jodie, his academically gifted sister and emotional mentor. Mungo meets James, a young boy from the Catholic school and despite expectations to be sworn rivals, after bonding over James’ dovecote the two develop a deep friendship, which soon blossoms into more. Though the depths of their desires must remain their best kept secret, the two share a love with each other that brings hope to the bleakness of everyday life. The novel uses two timelines; one framing James and Mungo’s relationship and time spent together, and the other jumping forward to a fishing trip arranged by Mungo’s mother with two of the men in her AA meetings to ‘make a man of Mungo’.

Stuart writes the harsh and grim realities of Mungo’s life in a way that is so rich and emotive despite the barren setting, it’s impossible not to invest in the characters and root for them. I also really appreciated the attention and depth that was given to side characters in this too - St Christopher, Poor Wee Chickie, and all the others who figure throughout are given the nuance and detail required to weave a rich and intricate literary tapestry.

Whilst Glasgow has changed and grown drastically since the post-industrial climate and early 90s when this book is set, the historical furrows of poverty and religious divide still colour the city’s culture - and the history is rich with working class battles still being fought today.

It is important to mention that, as with Shuggie Bain (but possibly even more concentrated here), this book is not easy going. Check the trigger warnings and if you’re feeling delicate, especially given the degree of political unrest surrounding the LGBT community at present, I might suggest this may not be the right book for you at this moment. However I was thankful that this novel did not end with a sweeping, sinking sense of morose resignation, but instead a glimmer of salvation - and the hope for a stronger future together.

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introvertsbookclub's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

The author somehow managed to write about horrible people and situations in a way that didn’t leave you feeling entirely hopeless. The main character was the object of so much cruelty, and yet it was the kindness within the novel and the empathy within the writing that felt like its core. The novel tackles really difficult subjects and environments (from poverty and classism to homophobia and abuse) in a way that is honest but not exploitative, and never condescending. Equal parts dark and disturbing, and sweet and vulnerable, the novel was full of unique details, intimate descriptions and an original main character who kept me reading.

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lrose's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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katiechasingchapters's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Douglas Stuart has done it again. His debut book Shuggie Bain was one of my favourite reads of 2021 and I'm sure Young Mungo will be a favourite of 2023. As I'm sure others have noted, there are similarities between both books. Working class Glasgow, an alcoholic mother and a teenage boy struggling with his sexuality are themes in both, but Young Mungo feels like a totally new world to me.

Mungo is an outlier in the violent and aggressively heterosexual world he lives in on a Glasgow housing scheme, raised mainly by his older sister Jodie due to their mother's neglect and alcoholism. Toxic masculinity and violence is rife, with men and boys expected to toughen up as many lose their livelihood and sense of self due to Thatcher era cuts.

Mungo's gang leader brother Ha Ha makes it clear the nervous and artistic Mungo is a disappointment to the family name. Mungo knows all too well the violence and hatred he'd be faced with if Ha Ha found out about his burgeoning relationship with James, a boy who lives in a flat behind theirs. Not only is James a boy but Catholic, and the sectarian divide is a clear one Protestant Mungo knows he can't cross without drawing the wrath of his brothers gang.

The story is beautiful, and utterly heartbreaking. It's full of despair and pain but has moments of such hope and strength, and I found it incredibly moving.

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