Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

122 reviews

laurenw's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Medical content

Minor: Body shaming and Blood

absolutive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

3.5

This book was just too sad and grim and bleak and overwhelming. Though there were some beautiful artistic touches and I'm sure that some people really have lived and do live the lives of Shuggie and his mother, reading this book almost felt like grief porn. Love and pride aren't enough. The book did not contain much of a world beyond alcoholism and its negative effects, even though Glasgow in the 1980s surely did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

amberinbookland's review

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

bookhoarder_alissa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse

lenin_lover_69's review

dark emotional sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

Shuggie Bain is relentlessly grim, but the evocative and poetic prose used to sketch out the city of Glasgow made it a worthwhile read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

stayathomereader's review

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

alissa_m's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Religious bigotry

kathleenwho's review

emotional funny sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Pedophilia

bodiesinbooks's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Violence, and Vomit

writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition

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

 Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart 🏭
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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🏢 The plot: Shuggie Bain is born in Glasgow to beautiful alcoholic Agnes and philandering taxi driver Big Shug Bain. When Big Shug abandons his family in a mining town decimated by Thatcherism, Agnes’s addiction takes hold, and Shuggie grapples not only with his enduring love and concern for his mother, but with the growing awareness in him and everyone around him that he is not a “normal boy”.
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This is the kind of book that you read and find yourself wondering over and over again if it’s autobiographical, because the characters are so rich and real. It’s not “about” Shuggie Bain in the way that Oliver Twist is “about” Oliver Twist - his adventures and the things that he does - but it is about him in the sense that it’s about the places and the people he comes from, the love and pain informing the decisions that shape his life. Family is at the heart of this novel: the ways in which we inherit things from the people who raise us, but also our separateness as individuals in a fractious society, our inability to be responsible for anyone’s survival but our own. I still don’t know if it’s ultimately optimistic or pessimistic in outlook, but it is moving, and it’s a book I’ll be thinking about for a long time!
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If I had one complaint, it would be that the novel spends so long contextualising Shuggie that you see relatively little of him as a person, particularly as a teenager. It feels a little anticlimactic - but maybe that’s just me longing for a happy ending for this character!
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🏘 Read it if you like character-driven novels that explore hard-hitting social history, written in accessible prose. Also to pick up random bits of Glaswegian slang!
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🚫 BIG avoid if you are sensitive to scenes of rape, assault, alcoholism, and child sexual assault. I would urge anyone doubtful to carefully check TWs before reading as it can get quite graphic. This is also not a very plot-driven book so avoid if that’s not your thing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence