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A review by nora__reads
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Heartbreaking but big hearted, Shuggie Bain is a beautifully written portrayal of the struggles of loving someone with an addiction.
It is also a portrait of Glasgow in the 80s, at the height of the Thatcher-era when unemployment was everywhere and addiction swiftly followed it.
Stuart treats the character of Agnes with such care and love, he is both highly critical of her struggle and resigned to cope with it, as well as being tender and gentle with his portrayal. He shows the complexities of loving someone who is intent on destroying themselves.
This relationship is what drove the story, but in the background of Agnes’s addiction Shuggie was also struggling to understand his sexuality in a deeply homophobic, misogynistic time.
This book is completely deserving of its Booker prize nomination.
It is also a portrait of Glasgow in the 80s, at the height of the Thatcher-era when unemployment was everywhere and addiction swiftly followed it.
Stuart treats the character of Agnes with such care and love, he is both highly critical of her struggle and resigned to cope with it, as well as being tender and gentle with his portrayal. He shows the complexities of loving someone who is intent on destroying themselves.
This relationship is what drove the story, but in the background of Agnes’s addiction Shuggie was also struggling to understand his sexuality in a deeply homophobic, misogynistic time.
This book is completely deserving of its Booker prize nomination.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit