A review by mickie
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SHUGGIE BAIN has been in my to-read pile for months, and I’m kicking myself for just now getting to this stunning book. The titular character, Shuggie, is a young gay man from Glasgow, struggling to reconcile with who he is & how he fits in with the world. But it's his mother's story that really takes center stage for much of the novel, & you realize this is not just a story about growing up queer, but one of mother-son bonds. Agnes, Shuggie's mother, is both a beauty & an alcoholic, & your heart will ache as you read how he tries to tend to her & keep her affections and spirits high. The Glasgow of this novel is a rough, poor place where men are always out of work & women are always just scraping by, but the book doesn't feel like it's shaming; if anything, it's giving space for this part of the world, these people's stories, in the larger literary world. It's gorgeous, incredibly moving, & the painful parts delivered with such grace. Its Booker Prize win was wholly deserved; fans of A LITTLE LIFE will love it.
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