Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

4 reviews

pkc's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

At the half way point, I couldn’t have envisioned giving this book five stars. Some of the subject matter is harrowing and tough to read, but tell me why I finished reading it, feeling, of all things, hopeful? Mungo as a protagonist is sweet and complicated. His journey of discovery is as joyful as it is harrowing in places and seeing him endure what he does filled me with a deep sense of anger and hurt and seeing his transition at the end of the novel left me feeling conflicted.

No one should endure what he has to, but the result is that he survives his ordeal with his brother and the loch and comes back with a sense of perspective - he will fend for himself and do what is right for himself.

 

All in all, a much bleaker picture than ‘Shuggie Bain’ but definitely more complex and engaging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Terminal illness, Torture, Animal death, Bullying, Vomit, Rape, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Death, Medical trauma, and Outing

mai_books27's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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 took me by the throat and broke my heart and i still couldn't put it down. The storytelling is atmospheric and phenomenal, the characters are so tangible and human. I cannot recommend this book enough, but due to the weight of the subject matter it's one you have to pick up in your own time. A new favorite, for sure. Violen  but soft and loving, this book is worth every penny. Please read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Death, Outing, Murder, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Grief, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Rape, Police brutality, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Sexism

sandysmith's review against another edition

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

4.0

A compelling read, beautifully but brutally written. It should come with trigger warnings as to say it is gritty and raw is an understatement. The books main character, Mungo, lives in Glasgow with his disfunctional family, his sister Jodie, and his absent (much of the time) alcoholic mother mo maw (Maureen). His elder brother Hamish (ho haw) is a protestant gang leader. Mungo falls in love with James, a Catholic, and the relationship is developed wonderfully. West Side story meets Romeo and Juliette. Set in 2 timelines, the developing relationship with James, and a fishing trip with strangers. Homophobia is rife. Raw, gut-wrenching, moving, heart-felt, belter of a story

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Abortion, Animal death, Child abuse, Rape, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Physical abuse

laurxndxx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

First of all this book requires a trigger warning for practically everything from start to finish. There were moments when I had to take a break out of shock. Despite that, it was an extremely emotive story about navigating being gay in a housing estate in Glasgow, whilst having to deal with his alcoholic mother and his overbearing brother. A lot of the characters were unlikable. I feel like this was too graphic for me, and might be better for someone else. I definitely recommend looking into the themes of this before reading it. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Douglas Stuart for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Outing, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Violence