A review by blackheartbooks
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Young Mungo is the story of two gay teens falling in love in a working-class Glasgow tenement. Mungo must survive violence at home as well as a war brewing between the Catholic and Protestant street gangs if he's ever to be with the boy he loves. Told across two timelines, through multiple POVs, Young Mungo is easily one of the most finely wrought stories of queer love I've read. 

Mungo is a tender-hearted boy, a quiet witness to varied effects toxic masculinity has on the people in his life. Because Mungo is so young, he has a canny way of getting to the bottom of people. Stuart utilizes this storytelling technique very well. Each person Mungo comes into contact with teaches him--and us--a little bit more about the history of the tenement, of its people. The story is slow-paced, and each revelation leads us to a broader portrait of life in Mungo's neighborhood.

I cannot state my love for this book enough. Mungo is sweet but not idealistic, quiet but not a pushover. I love the way Stuart has us pondering how slowly the effects of the patriarchy change us and mold us over time, and what it means to break free of these constructs in search of personal truth. I can't wait to buy my physical copy in April. I recommend this to fans of character studies, people with a vague interest in historical fiction (as this novel does explore the struggles between the Fenians and Billy Boys), and people interested in LGBTQIA+ studies.
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