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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion
dark
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
3.5
“Mungo's capacity for love frustrated her.
His loving wasn't selflessness; he simply couldn't help it. Mo-Maw needed so little and he produced too much, so that it all seemed a horrible waste. It was a harvest no one had seeded, and it blossomed from a vine no one had tended.”
Young Mungo is about a fifteen-year-old boy living in Glasgow social housing, with an alcoholic mother and two older siblings who are trying to fend for themselves. He meets James, a boy living in the neighbourhood and as they get closer, he starts to realize he has feelings for him. The story goes between the present and the past, with a significant event triggering the current events. While I thought both parts were well-written, I was frustrated with the back and forth. Each time I would get involved with one part of the story, we would switch to the other part. While that might work for some people, for me it would’ve been better if the chronology was linear.
The story is depressing to say the least. I don’t know why I was expecting it to turn around at some point, when everything was suggesting it wouldn’t. It talks a lot about class, and how living in poverty influences everything, including your self-esteem and how much you think you deserve happiness. We see that not only through the perspective of Mungo, but also the people around him. Stuart Douglas does a wonderful job of being empathetic towards the conditions of these people, which creates three-dimensional characters. It’s not a justification for how they treat Mungo, but it makes you understand that they’re only doing what they can. There’s rare moments of kindness that feel so much stronger in the midst of tragedy. It’s hurtful to realise this could’ve been the norm if it weren’t for their social status.
There’s a lot of traumatic events happening, including sexual assault, violence and homophobia. They were all treated sensibly, while not shying away from the gravity of the matter. At one point, I wondered if there was even a happy ending in sight. I was relieved the author settled on the ending he did, because if it ended with what I thought it would, it would have ruined the book for me. While I think it’s important to show these issues that affect a lot of people, I think it’s primordial to have at least a little spark of hope. In the end, you can’t control what fate reserves you. What you can do is choose to not let it swallow you whole.