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A review by booksjessreads
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Honestly, at first I found this book quite hard to get into, and overall, it took me around a month to read (which is a long time for me, my average is about a book a week) but I am so glad I stayed with it and persevered with the story and the characters because this is such a beautifully written novel.
Shuggie Bain is a story written primarily about Agnes Bain and her alcoholism. Her other children eventually leave her, but it is Shuggie who sticks around the longest in an attempt to help his mother recover. Shuggie is such a lovable character, and his innocence, coupled with his unwavering dedication and love for his mother, that encouraged my attachment to him. I wanted to protect him at all costs. He was subjected to a lot of horrible wrongdoings and the fact that, as a reader, I had to sit there and watch these events transpire, made it all the more heart-wrenching to read.
One thing that I absolutely adored in this novel was the way Stuart Douglas portrays poverty, addiction and domestic abuse, amongst other themes, in such a raw way. Some of the lines in this book were carefully constructed to capture the wretched reality of 1980s Glasgow. I don't have the capability in this review to do any of his prose justice, but his writing was something I could really appreciate and I felt portrayed the world Shuggie and his family lived in so well, his poignancy matching the darkness of their lives, as well as the general aura of the novel.
Perhaps my only opportunity for this novel would be to read it again. I am highly anticipating reading the audiobook alongside this too as I feel like this will heighten my experience with it. One of the things I struggled with to begin with was getting used to the Glaswegian dialect, so the audiobook would certainly bring this to life.
Overall, I appreciated this book so much. It is so worth the read.
Shuggie Bain is a story written primarily about Agnes Bain and her alcoholism. Her other children eventually leave her, but it is Shuggie who sticks around the longest in an attempt to help his mother recover. Shuggie is such a lovable character, and his innocence, coupled with his unwavering dedication and love for his mother, that encouraged my attachment to him. I wanted to protect him at all costs. He was subjected to a lot of horrible wrongdoings and the fact that, as a reader, I had to sit there and watch these events transpire, made it all the more heart-wrenching to read.
One thing that I absolutely adored in this novel was the way Stuart Douglas portrays poverty, addiction and domestic abuse, amongst other themes, in such a raw way. Some of the lines in this book were carefully constructed to capture the wretched reality of 1980s Glasgow. I don't have the capability in this review to do any of his prose justice, but his writing was something I could really appreciate and I felt portrayed the world Shuggie and his family lived in so well, his poignancy matching the darkness of their lives, as well as the general aura of the novel.
Perhaps my only opportunity for this novel would be to read it again. I am highly anticipating reading the audiobook alongside this too as I feel like this will heighten my experience with it. One of the things I struggled with to begin with was getting used to the Glaswegian dialect, so the audiobook would certainly bring this to life.
Overall, I appreciated this book so much. It is so worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Addiction, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Self harm, Violence, Homophobia, and Drug use