BOOK REVIEW
Shuggie Bain was recommended to me by my friend's mum when I mentioned that I was trying to read more. She thrust it in my hands and insisted that I would love it. There's no blurb on the book per se, just snippets of press and author reviews but they gave me a really true and authentic feeling of the story and I was very excited to pick this up and start reading. I had never heard of it before that day so I am delighted that conversation happened and allowed me to find this book entirely by chance.
BLURB
It is 1981, Glasgow is dying and good families must grift to survive. Agnes Bain has always expected more from life, dreaming of greater things. But Agnes is abandoned by her philandering husband, and as she descends deeper into drink, the children try their best to save her, yet one by one they must abandon her to save themselves.
It is her son Shuggie who holds out hope the longest. Shuggie is different, he is clearly no' right. But Shuggie believes that if he tries his hardest, he can be normal like the other boys and help his mother escape this hopeless place.
Shuggie Bain lays bare the ruthlessness of poverty, the limits of love, and the hollowness of pride. For readers of A little Life and Angelas's Ashes, it is a heartbreaking novel by a brilliant writer with a powerful and important story to tell.
'A heartbreaking novel' - The Times
MY REVIEW
I don't know where to begin. This is a standout read of the year for me. It is deeply unsettling and uncomfortable throughout. But that's the point. We are dealing with a gritty and real depiction of an underbelly that people feel uncomfortable discussing. Douglas Stuart manages to describe even the deepest poverty, the poorest of neighbourhoods, and the darkest of times in a way that is haunting in its beauty. Everything was so vivid in its darkness and that, in itself, was simply breathtaking.
I felt for Shuggie and his Mum, Agnes, as they struggled together, and separately, and found themselves in circumstances stacked against them from the start. I don't plan to give away any spoilers here, but I would love to hear from you if you have read this book, tell me your thoughts on Eugene, who I think is one of the most divisive characters in the entire story.
This book deals with poverty, alcohol dependence, sexuality, and assault (of various kinds) so please go into this knowing that this is not a book that you will 'enjoy' nor find a 'fun read'. If you need to, check out trigger warnings first (if what I have put here isn't enough). In fact, the subject matter is so hard-hitting that I did need to put it down for a couple of weeks and make sure I was ready for what was to come. I'm glad I did, as I did need the break. I am equally glad that I came back to it, it really is an incredible story that moved me.
Being from Scotland I also appreciated some of the (brief) moments of levity, usually in the way Scottish people can say the crudest things and sound comical in doing so. The dialogue was incredible from that point of view, I could hear the Glaswegian accent through the words, incredible! I was particularly amused during one small part when the women of the scheme are described in their endeavours to hide from the Provident Man. When I was much younger and living in a similar scheme to what's depicted in this book, I had a 'Provie Man' too, and 100% crawled through the house pretending not to be in because I didn't have the cash to pay him back for my measly £300 loan that week. Suggesting that he, by peeking through windows, saw nothing but wisps of cigarette smoke creeping out from behind the couch made me laugh out loud. I was one of those women at one point. Then it made me feel quite reflective, how easily more parts of my life could have reflected the story and how grateful (read... LUCKY) I am that my perseverance paid off because it doesn't for everyone.
The writing is stunning, and it's clear why this book won the Booker Prize. It's certainly not a novel I will pick up and read again on a whim but will stay with me forever. Very deserving of a 5 Star Review.
If you want to read a prize-winning novel that cuts deep and has prose that will give you goosebumps, I recommend you read this book. It isn't just a 5 Star Read. It's an IMPORTANT read. I'll remind you again though, if you have triggers, CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST :)
Have you read Shuggie Bain? What did you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Check out my video review:
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