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Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Abortion, Murder, Alcohol
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence
Minor: Abortion, Murder
I was really impressed by the writing in general, I can't count the amount of times I had to stop for a moment to just admire a single sentence, and how concisely or cleverly the author was able to convey something. The prose is evocative and heady while not veering off into full-on purple prose. I think it's because a lot of the details are simple and human and easily relatable; this comes across especially in the details of the relationship between Mungo and James that are just so sweet and tender.
I ended up loving this book a lot more than I expected (just based on the plot summary), glad I checked it out on a semi-whim. Highly recommend, definitely looking forward to the author's next book, his writing alone is fantastic. Hopefully it is something in a slightly different wheelhouse, saw a few reviews saying this has a lot of overlap with Shuggie Bain (which I have not read).
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Many same themes as Shuggie Bain, so much that the beginning made me wonder if maybe Douglas Stuart can only write about one thing and his following books can't compare to Shuggie Bain because of that. However, Young Mungo still has its own clear identity. The narration is different as are the central themes on which it focuses. The book is much more centrally about Mungo and his sort of rendition of Romeo and Juliet (through the filter of West Side Story) amidst Protestant vs Catholic confrontations while also examining homophobia and CSA/pedophilia.
Douglas Stuart writes beautifully and is so good at really making you feel what the characters are going through. Even the worst person is nuanced and we understand how much the misery capitalism has brought on them plays a part in how some victims become the victimizers and how hard it is to break that cycle and escape. It doesn't excuse the pain they cause others, but you understand the root cause of it all while also seeing that you can choose to opt out (at a great price at times).
I also greatly appreciate Stuart's ability to write about complex mothers, who themselves have suffered greatly due to misogyny and poverty but then take it out on their children in various ways. Neglecting your children and their needs as well as making them your caretakers IS child abuse, even if you never raise a hand to them. His portrayals of emotional incest are very realistic and touching, and it's an important topic to explore especially when many parts of it are normalized/downplayed.
At its core, Young Mungo is a story about hands in all their infinite potentials.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia
Minor: Domestic abuse