Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

58 reviews

pagesintranslation's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual assault

Minor: Vomit, Homophobia, Mental illness, Grief, and Infidelity

danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book is really fucking good. I had read Douglas Stuart’s second novel “Young Mungo” before I read this one and liked it a lot. But this was another level. And I’m glad I didn’t read it before “Young Mungo” because I think I would’ve compared the two and I perhaps wouldn’t have enjoyed his second novel quite as much as I did.

Through the lens of a young queer boy being raised by, and more often taking care of, his alcoholic mother, we explore themes of poverty and addiction.

This book will break your heart… so, of course I loved it. The storytelling is impeccable. The characters are beautifully drawn. Its emotionality burns bright on every page. I highly recommend it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Grief, Alcohol, Self harm, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Abandonment

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Pedophilia

emmaisabelle's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

I wish this book hadn’t beaten Real Life by Brandon Taylor for the Booker because I LOVE that book and unfortunately couldn’t stop myself from comparing the two even though they’re so different. 

I loved the way the book zeroed in on Shuggie and Agnes’s relationship. I went in thinking it was more going to be about Shuggie but it really is about them
both and their relationship and the havoc addiction wreaks on a family. This book is just… so heartbreaking and raw. It does a great job of evoking the pain of being a child of an alcoholic. I may be alone in this but I deeply felt for Agnes throughout.

When she relapsed, my heart broke and like Leek, I was ready to beat up Eugene too.

I really devoured the second half and finished it in a day. I think Stuart did a great job of also helping readers deeply understand Leek, Catherine and the other side characters without really having to go or their heads or focus on them. Shuggie isn’t the most reliable narrator but we can really feel their emotions and motivations despite that through the whole book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Homophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

selimhannah's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Vomit, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Bullying, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Death

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Addiction

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Classism, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Self harm

Minor: Racism, Cancer, and Pregnancy

raisinflakies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Self harm, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Bullying, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Homophobia, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Medical content, Racism, Transphobia, and Vomit

ivyleiff's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Death, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Infidelity

katiehuntington's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

synfje's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death

lucykateburns's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Excrement, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit