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A review by mccannamandajane
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
This is the second time in my life where I have been unable to finish a book.
Simply, this novel reads as cruel, spectator-esque, poverty porn.
The way which Stuart writes about his female characters is emotionless and misogynistic. He extends no empathy in his writing to their plight, not even where they experience unrelenting gender based violence and cruelty. At one point even writing that the women see the violence of the men in their lives as contributory to their desire for them.
The poverty and the cruelty of absent mothers is clearly all Stuart wanted to write about, and his characters live in hopeless, changeless, joyless circumstances with no respite, ease or laugh to be found.
Yes there are lives akin to this. And yes the violence is performed daily. But this novel had no interest in exploring that with care. Instead trading thoughtful truth-telling for shock and hate.
Simply, this novel reads as cruel, spectator-esque, poverty porn.
The way which Stuart writes about his female characters is emotionless and misogynistic. He extends no empathy in his writing to their plight, not even where they experience unrelenting gender based violence and cruelty. At one point even writing that the women see the violence of the men in their lives as contributory to their desire for them.
The poverty and the cruelty of absent mothers is clearly all Stuart wanted to write about, and his characters live in hopeless, changeless, joyless circumstances with no respite, ease or laugh to be found.
Yes there are lives akin to this. And yes the violence is performed daily. But this novel had no interest in exploring that with care. Instead trading thoughtful truth-telling for shock and hate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence