Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

12 reviews

emiliarosep's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Addiction, Rape, and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Racism and Cancer

stephh's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-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

5.0

I really wasn't sure I'd enjoy this - everyone said it was an incredibly depressing read, and the list of trigger warnings is one of the longest ones I've ever seen. HOWEVER, I found that, although the book is bleak it isn't a miserable read by any means, and some of the content the trigger warnings were there for wasn't graphic at all.

Shuggie's a young boy in the early 80s living in Glasgow just after Thatcher has closed the mines. His mother Agnes is an alcoholic and, despite Shuggie's best efforts, they live a tumultuous life together with his grandparents, father and older brother and sister. We watch Shuggie grow up across the book and learn to navigate a world that's stacked against him throughout his childhood.

I feel like I can't do justice to just how good this book was. It's given me one of the biggest book hangovers I've ever had, and has been all I can think about for a good week now. I found that, although the book was dark and gloomy, there was always a thread of hope running through it keeping you going. I'm not usually a fan of a book where a lot of the main characters are flawed, but this one was so incredibly well written that I loved following the entire Bain family. I can't wait to read Young Mungo now, and see if that lives up to the lofty heights of this.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Pedophilia

smcmullan79's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Racism, Homophobia, and Self harm

ladybirder's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Pedophilia, Bullying, Homophobia, Child abuse, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Racism

kobra's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Ableism, Self harm, Drug abuse, Classism, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, Rape, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Bullying

Minor: Racism

thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Addiction

Moderate: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Classism, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Self harm

Minor: Racism, Cancer, and Pregnancy

raisinflakies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Self harm, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Bullying, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Homophobia, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Abandonment, Cursing, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Medical content, Racism, Transphobia, and Vomit

tesslw's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.75

TW: alcoholism, sexual assault/ rape,  homophobia, racism, suicide

Bleak, raw and deeply tender, Shuggie Bain is the story of a working class family’s daily struggles in Glasgow in the 1980s, at the peak of the Thatcherite years. 

Interesting, despite its namesake, the entire book actually centres around the life and actions of Shuggie’s mother, Agnes Bain; a woman whose pride is continually bruised and questioned, and though it occasionally falters she is steadfastly determined never to let it crumble entirely, so long as she lives. A woman who always has fresh stockings and a pristine house, even when the very fabric of her life is fraying all around her. A woman who longs so desperately to be loved, and yet her own children’s same yearning for her own love cannot save her from her addictions. Agnes is fierce, stubborn, and deeply fallible. Her husband, also named Shuggie (aka Big Shug) is a taxi driver who uses his career to get away from the tumultuous family home (and often, closer to other women), and it is his involvement (or often, lack of) in the Bain family’s life that drives the events of the novel. 

Shuggie Bain is a novel packed full of poverty, hardship and adversity; honestly, in many places it is bleak. But it also paints a rich picture of a too often disregarded or forgotten sector of society - and it’s packed with characters who you cannot help but give your heart to. I felt for Agnes so deeply on so many occasions;  but honestly  think my favourite character was Leek, Shuggie’s older brother who reluctantly waits to fly the nest to try and ensure Shuggie gives himself the best chance of dodging the relentless bullying at school and has an ally when it comes to safely putting their drunken and comatose mother to bed at night. 

I also loved the subtle undertones of queer identity and discovery that Shuggie finds himself grappling with; a large part of me wanted this to be explored and developed futher, or brought more to the forefront of the narrative at times, although there is also a part of me that loved how understated it was and how it did not become the primary focus of the plot. 

I genuinely can’t get my head around the fact that this is a debut - I also picked up Young Mungo in Edinburgh whilst I was still reading this and I honestly can’t wait to get stuck into that too!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism

TW: alcoholism, sexual assault/ rape, homophobia, racism, suicide Bleak, raw and deeply tender, Shuggie Bain is the story of a working class family’s daily struggles in Glasgow in the 1980s, at the peak of the Thatcherite years. Interesting, despite its namesake, the entire book actually centres around the life and actions of Shuggie’s mother, Agnes Bain; a woman whose pride is continually bruised and questioned, and though it occasionally falters she is steadfastly determined never to let it crumble entirely, so long as she lives. A woman who always has fresh stockings and a pristine house, even when the very fabric of her life is fraying all around her. A woman who longs so desperately to be loved, and yet her own children’s same yearning for her own love cannot save her from her addictions. Agnes is fierce, stubborn, and deeply fallible. Her husband, also named Shuggie (aka Big Shug) is a taxi driver who uses his career to get away from the tumultuous family home (and often, closer to other women), and it is his involvement (or often, lack of) in the Bain family’s life that drives the events of the novel. Shuggie Bain is a novel packed full of poverty, hardship and adversity; honestly, in many places it is bleak. But it also paints a rich picture of a too often disregarded or forgotten sector of society - and it’s packed with characters who you cannot help but give your heart to. I felt for Agnes so deeply on so many occasions; but honestly think my favourite character was Leek, Shuggie’s older brother who reluctantly waits to fly the nest to try and ensure Shuggie gives himself the best chance of dodging the relentless bullying at school and has an ally when it comes to safely putting their drunken and comatose mother to bed at night. I also loved the subtle undertones of queer identity and discovery that Shuggie finds himself grappling with; a large part of me wanted this to be explored and developed futher, or brought more to the forefront of the narrative at times, although there is also a part of me that loved how understated it was and how it did not become the primary focus of the plot. I genuinely can’t get my head around the fact that this is a debut - I also picked up Young Mungo in Edinburgh whilst I was still reading this and I honestly can’t wait to get stuck into that too!

joydot's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Death of parent

Minor: Racial slurs and Racism

minkarline's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Really long middle part which I found too long and a bit repetitive.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Minor: Racism