A review by killerwhalie
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

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

4.5

fuuuuuuck me. this book really fucked me up. it feels weird to say that you loved a book that was essentially a 400-page exercise in misery, but that's the closest descriptor that i can come up with for how i feel. it was extremely fucking hard to read at points, so depressing that I wanted to close the book, and just about the bleakest thing i've ever lain eyes on, but it was also incredibly well-written. stuart's ability to pull the reader into the setting and immerse you in the story is a talent, second only to how he breathes complex, flawed life into his characters. this book is about loving someone so deeply who fails you repeatedly in the cruellest ways, about failing the ones you love despite that being the last thing you want, about understanding the point when you've done all you can and need to leave, even if that hurts the ones who remain. all this is set against the backdrop of Thatcher-era Glasgow, complete with how all of the various social, political, and economic factors of that era play heavily into our characters' lives. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since i finished it. I'll certainly be picking up stuart's latest, but likely after a long recovery period. i don't think i can take another heartbreak like this one for a while.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings