A review by katiechasingchapters
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-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

Douglas Stuart has done it again. His debut book Shuggie Bain was one of my favourite reads of 2021 and I'm sure Young Mungo will be a favourite of 2023. As I'm sure others have noted, there are similarities between both books. Working class Glasgow, an alcoholic mother and a teenage boy struggling with his sexuality are themes in both, but Young Mungo feels like a totally new world to me. 

Mungo is an outlier in the violent and aggressively heterosexual world he lives in on a Glasgow housing scheme, raised mainly by his older sister Jodie due to their mother's neglect and alcoholism. Toxic masculinity and violence is rife, with men and boys expected to toughen up as many lose their livelihood and sense of self due to Thatcher era cuts.

Mungo's gang leader brother Ha Ha makes it clear the nervous and artistic Mungo is a disappointment to the family name. Mungo knows all too well the violence and hatred he'd be faced with if Ha Ha found out about his burgeoning relationship with James, a boy who lives in a  flat behind theirs. Not only is James a boy but Catholic, and the sectarian divide is a clear one Protestant Mungo knows he can't cross without drawing the wrath of his brothers gang. 

The story is beautiful, and utterly heartbreaking. It's full of despair and pain but has moments of such hope and strength, and I found it incredibly moving. 
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