Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

262 reviews

raybudbury'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

A sucker punch of a book. Well-written especially the Scottish jargon. Well-deserving of the man booker. Initially hard to get into but also hard to read at points due to the subject matter. I feel like this is really a well-written take on how families with addiction get rocked by the person addicted and the system. I imagine it’s really a good period piece for how people were dealing with poverty in the 80s-90s + the homophobia one gets in their youth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Vomit, Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Child abuse

burnourhistory's review against another edition

dark 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death of parent, Vomit, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

bokslukaren's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

What does it mean to be a man? This story tackles masculinity, sexuality, the loss of innocence, and the butterfly effect of abuse. The Scottish slang, phonetics, and social lives were, at times, confusing for a person who's lived in Sweden all his life but very effective for immersion. Shuggie’s life was very different from my own, but many times, I saw myself in him and his distinctive ways. I'm very glad to have read this book and gained a new perspective.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Rape and Drug use

readbycarina's review against another edition

Too dark for my mood right now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Infidelity

Minor: Homophobia and Pregnancy

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Such a sad story, though an honest portrayal of alcoholism and addiction. This is about everyone who has fallen through the societal cracks and those whose resilience is more than others can handle. Shuggie is brilliant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Outing, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Rape, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, War, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Vomit

isabelboswinkel's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Drug use, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Vomit, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

kieranjones's review against another edition

dark emotional 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, Addiction, and Alcohol

natalie28'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Child abuse, and Death of parent

wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Pedophilia, Self harm, and Rape

dionosaur's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Vomit

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault