Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Shuggie Bain

It was one of those books where I would wonder about the characters in my spare time. The way Stuart writes about really difficult topics is masterful

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booksjessreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

Honestly, at first I found this book quite hard to get into, and overall, it took me around a month to read (which is a long time for me, my average is about a book a week) but I am so glad I stayed with it and persevered with the story and the characters because this is such a beautifully written novel.

Shuggie Bain is a story written primarily about Agnes Bain and her alcoholism. Her other children eventually leave her, but it is Shuggie who sticks around the longest in an attempt to help his mother recover. Shuggie is such a lovable character, and his innocence, coupled with his unwavering dedication and love for his mother, that encouraged my attachment to him. I wanted to protect him at all costs. He was subjected to a lot of horrible wrongdoings and the fact that, as a reader, I had to sit there and watch these events transpire, made it all the more heart-wrenching to read.

One thing that I absolutely adored in this novel was the way Stuart Douglas portrays poverty, addiction and domestic abuse, amongst other themes, in such a raw way. Some of the lines in this book were carefully constructed to capture the wretched reality of 1980s Glasgow. I don't have the capability in this review to do any of his prose justice, but his writing was something I could really appreciate and I felt portrayed the world Shuggie and his family lived in so well, his poignancy matching the darkness of their lives, as well as the general aura of the novel.

Perhaps my only opportunity for this novel would be to read it again. I am highly anticipating reading the audiobook alongside this too as I feel like this will heighten my experience with it. One of the things I struggled with to begin with was getting used to the Glaswegian dialect, so the audiobook would certainly bring this to life.

Overall, I appreciated this book so much. It is so worth the read.

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lucykateburns's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I really don't know what to make of it all. I don't have much experience with alcoholism but, being from Glasgow, I am well aware that it is a problem in the city. It goes without saying that it made Agnes a very dislikable character and despite the author's efforts to make us sympathise with her, I found it difficult to like her. I especially didn't like her air of superiority, nor that she valued herself as better than other women for having 'pride' in her looks. I hated that she tried to embody the role of the good wife, but I also can't blame her for longing for what society says women should strive to be and do. The sexual violence suffered by the character was difficult to read, although it didn't go into much detail, and I felt that it was brushed past too easily. Too many traumatic events happened that could have been delved into further but weren't (I mean the aftermath, not the actual events...). That goes for some of the things that happened to Shuggie too.

On the contrast, it was hard not to love Shuggie. I don't know how to sum him up. What child doesn't love their mother? It's hard to grow up and accept that they aren't the heroes you once thought them to be. Parents can be very flawed people and, as in Shuggie's case, so flawed that there is nothing you can do to help them. The whole book felt like a journey into Shuggie's letting go of his mum, he couldn't keep her here for him. I think ultimately letting her go was the best he could have done.

In this sense, the theme of recurring self-harm and inability to recover reminded me of A Little Life, and both share similar endings in this regard. The tragic comparison between Leanne's mother and Shuggie's is something to comment on, but I won't go too much into it. Essentially, it just shows the possible paths alcoholism can lead a woman down, neither of which are positive. For this reason, I think the book has a very depressing overall tone to it, there isn't a fairytale ending but sometimes that is the reality of things. Clearly this was never entirely Agnes' fault, but in the world we live in she didn't have much choice. Eugene must feel eternal guilt.

It is difficult to finish the book and not know where Shuggie ends up, or what exactly the outcome of the journey with his sexuality will be, but I am comforted with his friendship with Leanne. I hope they both find love and happiness.

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alsalts's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad

5.0

Heartbreakingly beautiful. This story of a lonely boy navigating life under the care of his mother, who increasingly finds solace in cans of strong lager. Tender with difficult subjects and unlike anything I've read before.

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merle98's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It is not often to come across a book that so brilliantly and intimately portrays the gritty realities of poverty and addiction, neither romanticising its subjects and their lives nor vilifying their actions. Would highly recommend for people in a mentally stable place.

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