A review by clellman
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

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

This book is emotionally devastating. While the title character is Shuggie, Agnes is arguably the more central figure. There is intimacy, love, denial, self destruction, and wanting yourself to be different. It was super engrossing in a particular time and place ('80s Glasgow council housing) and the written out dialect was incredible and had me reading out loud to myself. Best book I've read in a while.

For me, it evoked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, En finir avec Eddy Belleguele, and A Little Life.
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