A review by minusy
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

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

4.5

Heart-wrenching, frustrating, and unsatisfying – like a good emotional book should be. This book tells a story about grief, tough decisions, unstable relationships and hard work. It's the story of a gay young boy in the 80s, but not necessarily about the topic of sexuality. Every character tries their best to make the most of what they have, but has many frustrations and makes a lot of mistakes. There is no happy ending, although that depends on how you define it. Simply the story of a woman who had little, wanted it all, got lost somewhere along the way between those two points and the effect it had on those around her. And it's the story of her son who tries to clean up the mess around him at the cost of his own childhood, until he has few options left. 
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