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collie98's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Murder
Minor: Outing, Chronic illness, Cursing, Grief, Incest, Police brutality, and Abortion
stayathomereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Douglas Stuart's sophomore novel has a lot in common with his debut, Shuggie Bain. Both feature young queer characters in Scotland during the 80s. Both feature an alcoholic mother and complicated sibling relationship, and both deal with class issues and tension between the Protestants and Catholics.
Once again I was very impressed with the way Stuart writes- he crafts such complete characters and builds an atmosphere so real you feel like you're there, too.
Young Mungo is told over two timelines which converge by the end of the book. At the very beginning we know that Mungo has been caught with another boy, beaten by his brother, and sent away by his mother to go camping with two men (who are basically strangers) to straighten him out, toughen him up... give him some manly guidance.
The other timeline follows Mungo prior to this camping trip- giving us a chance to get to know him and his family, and watch as he developed a friendship (and more) with the slightly older Catholic boy who steals and raises fancy pigeons.
One thing to note about the dual timelines is that there is no visual signifier to the reader when switching between the two. The setting and characters make it obvious enough, but towards the end of the novel, as the time gap closes it becomes a little less obvious... then again, that could have been a mistake I made reading past my bedtime! 😉
Unlike Shuggie, who is a young child for most of his book, Mungo is 15 years old and on the cusp of manhood- by 16 he can be considered emancipated and is free to go where he wants with whomever he wants. My problem with his age is that the way he is so infantilized by his mother and sister made it hard for me to visualise him as a teenager ready to fall in love, run away, and be self sustaining.
Getting past that issue, (which is minor really, because I'm sure if I think about it long enough I can come up with some reasoning as to the roles he plays inside and outside of his home life), I found the characters to be so fully developed that I could feel their emotions and struggles pouring off the page; which was exactly my experience with Shuggie Bain. If I could adopt Shuggie and Mungo both I absolutely would! My mothering instinct aches for them.
So while the writing is beautiful, and here and there are wholesome character relationships, the story is full of sadness and violence that had me grimacing while reading. Portions of this book were literally a visceral experience.
I preferred Shuggie Bain to Young Mungo, honestly; but that is like asking if I want cake or ice cream.... both, please!
Graphic: Addiction, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Abortion, Animal death, Drug use, Excrement, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Classism
shayna_hadassah's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Alcohol, Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Drug use and Animal death
srm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm, Pregnancy, Abortion, Drug use, Grief, Rape, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
snowydaze's review against another edition
- 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
I also found that most of the feminine characters were treated and acted the same way besides a handful of them. I understand that their actions represent the truth of what can occur in some instances, but the way these issues are discussed and treated in the book comes across negatively.
I also feel like this book should include some form of a trigger warning list as there are numerous things I would have loved a warning about regardless of the effects knowing about it would have on the story. Therefore, I highly recommend looking up a trigger warning list before reading this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Cursing, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Outing, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Abortion
tom_pietra's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Murder, Addiction, Bullying, Outing, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use
daisywilkes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
_bookishbella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Violence
saestrah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Despite already having three other books to read via NetGalley and a small army of library paperbacks on my desk, I was so excited to read Young Mungo that I couldn't let it wait for more than the time it took my phone to download the book. Having studied in Glasgow, the phonetical spellings of Glasweigan English and vivid descriptions of the city submerged me into the city I loved. More than just pointing out street names I walked down or lived on, there's a tangible nature to the setting that makes Glasgow feel like another character in the novel, neither a hero no antagonist, but an omnipresent being that shapes the lives of Mungo and those he interacts with.
Speaking of Mungo, here is a protagonist I whole-heartedly loved. He's used to being babied by those around him and I never questioned why: he's incredibly kind, loyal, and has a forgiving nature which could have been written as his downfall but, while it did bring him a lot of grief, it wasn't written as a flaw to overcome. Mungo's softness is something to protect. Although Mungo is the character that leads us through the story, he's not the only narrator and I never found the other narrators as lesser storytellers. Throughout the two timelines of the novel—one being Mungo on a fishing trip with two alcoholics, the other being Mungo in Glasgow with his family—every character is developed enough that each of their decisions makes sense. There is never the feeling of things happening for the sake of a plot, but rather the plot organically growing from the characters' worldview and actions.
As for the plot, I was a little trepidatious of another story of trauma and pain, where LGBT characters are used as fictional punching bags and are reminded how much the world hates them. While Douglas Stuart doesn't shy away from writing the cruelty and abuse that gay men face, this coming of age story has as much tenderness as it does tragedy. It definitely gets bleak and depressing at times, but the chosen pacing of the story (switching seamlessly between the two timelines) does offer the reader a temporary escape. As the two timelines begin to come together, a sense of cautiousness develops in the reader as enough hints have been given to explain how Mungo found himself on the fishing trip. We can guess what happens to Mungo and James before it happens, and the knowingness doesn't lessen the blow. Having said that, and without spoiling anything too much, the ending is still optimistic. While there's no explicit future laid out for Mungo's happy ending, there's definitely hope for one. I for one, imagined a 'and they lived happily ever after.'
All in all, I loved the characters and enjoyed the writing style. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book (but browse the content warnings beforehand) and while I would like to reread this at some point, I also look forward to whatever Stuart writes next.
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, and Violence
Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence