Mungo, a boy growing up in Scotland surrounded by violence, addiction, poverty, and toxic masculinity, tries to navigate what it means to be authentic when it isn’t always safe or easy.

First thing to say about this book: trigger warnings. This is the heaviest thing I have read, ever, maybe? This book is brutal. Mungo is trapped in a sticky spider web of a dangerous community and family, and you just want so badly for him to escape. When he continues being targeted by violence, it is truly visceral.

Young Mungo fully earned its 5 stars for me with its complex character work and gritty story line. Even though it was painful to read, it was a book I could not put down. It is an important look at the danger marginalized groups face across time and cultures.

Fans of Shuggie Bain will greatly appreciate Young Mungo, as there are some things about it that are reminiscent of Stuart's earlier book. There is a similar setting. The characters in this book are vivid and the writing beautiful, if heavy at times. I wanted more of the love story, and I found this perhaps a little too similar at the start to Shuggie Bain in some ways, but Douglas Stuart is clearly talented and I enjoyed the coming of age story about being queer, and following the different characters overall.

Taking place ten years after #ShuggieBain this sophomore outing after his Booker prize winning debut is as good if not better than his first. In one respect this could almost be viewed as a sequel of sorts, a speculative alternate universe of what happened when Shuggie grew into his teen years. It isn’t of course, this is it’s own hardscrabble story of fifteen year old Mungo, being raised effectively by his older sister after their mother abandons her duties in an attempt to reclaim her independence, find a potential new husband, and a life outside of the housing estates.

Much of the focus of the book, at least promotion wise, has been around Mungo’s developing relationship with a neighborhood Catholic teen. With Sectarian tensions pushed to violent fights ala the Sharks and the Jets there’s a star crossed lover element between these two boys and despite hoping for the fairy tale ending, it would be a false payoff to everything that precedes it.

Beyond Mungo and James’ touching relationship, Stewart has filled his pages with a collection of unforgettable characters including his sister Jodie, who strives to maintain familial rhythms with her younger brother while struggling to break out. There’s violent brother Hamish, gang leader and a father at eighteen, living with the mother of his child and her family. And perhaps my personal favorite Mungo’s flamboyant elderly bachelor neighbor, Poor-Wee-Chickie, a man who refuses to be anything but unapologetically himself in the face of rampant homophobia.
Stuart’s world is rough. It’s fists to the face, bricks to the head and a boot tip in the stomach. It’s filth, and hunger and longing and stolen moments of passion that end in bruised lips and scratches on the body. It’s certainly one of the best books I’ve read this year and one that will absolutely become a classic. Thanks to @grovepress and @netgalley for the advance copy. #Youngmungo comes out April 5th.

3.5 stars
Set in Glasgow during The Troubles, Young Mungo reminded me a lot of Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life. But while Yanagihara's book is a poor excuse of an exploration of trauma and suffering, Stuart's Mungo is justified in its portrayal of pain and conflict. Described by many as a same sex retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with Mungo Stuart managed to explore the deep consequences of toxic masculinity rooted in the grim, unforgiving world of the conflict between the catholics and the protestants while still managing to write a heartfelt and moving story about a family's struggles with alcoholism and the remaining love between son and mother.
The character of Mo-Maw is undoubtedly a scene stealer, but I have to admit I found myself entranced by Jodie in particular, her relationship with her brother being one of the reasons I pushed myself through so many of the harrowing and gruesome scenes present in the novel. I found her to be one of the most interesting characters in the book, if not the most interesting, often shadowing every other character. Mungo in particular I found to be a very forgettable character, and while the themes explored through him resonated deeply, I still can't help thinking Stuart did him a disservice with the constant violence and aggression inflicted upon him.

I loved it. The best story I ever read.
Just I want to say that.
I didn’t believed the thing I was reading.

After reading two of Stuart's books, I can't deny he's an amazing writer. He really takes you into the story and the world, I can visualize everything that is going on in such a cinematic way, but also feel so deeply for all these characters. Mungo is so heartbreaking. He is so naïve and wonderful, it's hard not to love him. I will also always commend him on showing how complicated relationships can be with absent parents.

I will say that some of this book (at least the first half) almost felt like it was treading old ground. An alcoholic mother, a loving sister who wants to leave, and a brother who is stuck in the area for a while. Then at the 50% mark the entire story fell out from under me. I both liked it and wished it had gotten to that point sooner, almost if we back tracked from one point and not the fishing trip beginning at the beginning of the entire novel. However, I ended up loving seeing Mungo grow and become a man on this weekend, how much he came into himself while still keeping some of his youth. Reading about this character growing up in the nineties in Glasgow is fascinating, and each character really brought it in perspective. I also loved James. He is such an interesting and dynamic character, along with the siblings. It really shows what potential trauma can do to a family.

This is a story about the intersection of hope and despair.  Mungo is the youngest child of a young, Protestant, single mother, who struggles to raise three children with little support in a working class Glasgow neighborhood.  Mungo has long known he is different from many of the others in his town, and that, to stay safe, he must keep his difference hidden, including from his family.  But Mungo soon finds himself spending more time with James, a Catholic neighborhood boy, who has a getaway where he takes care of pigeons and who is himself trying to hide his true identity from his father.

As Mungo and James slowly fall in love and dream of a future far away from Glasgow where they can be together, external pressures, including tensions between Protestants and Catholics in their town and perceptions by their families that they are not sufficiently masculine, call into question not just their relationship but whether they have any future at all.

This is a powerful book.  Mungo is an indelible character, and the author paints a rich world that brings to life the cross-cutting economic, religious, and social pressures that make life difficult for a young queer teenager who wants to do more than just survive.  It is not always an easy read, especially as Mungo navigates pressures that would break almost anyone -- much less a teenager with little in the way of family or community support.  Whether it is his mother's neglect, his brother's efforts to force Mungo to join him in a life of small-time crime, or, most troubling, a fishing trip his mother arranges for Mungo to take with two strange men with questionable pasts, you cannot help but hope for the best for Mungo and his dream of being able to pursue his first love even as you fear the worst.  

Definitely recommended!

A beautiful queer love story that also manages to tell a tale of sectarianism in Glasgow. Exquisite writing. I will be recommending this for to my older students a historical/political fiction!

This book is everything I could have ever wanted and more. Truly a beautiful story about class, identity, and how you fit into a world that does not want you to exist. Won't be forgetting about Mungo, James, or Jodie anytime soon.

I am not sure where to start with this book. I guess with it is just stunning. Stunningly written, and with a perfectly, albeit tragic, story.

Young Mungo lives in Glasgow’s East End. Life is tough: his older brother, Hamish, is wicked, violent; his mum is an alcoholic who is looking out for the next best man she can shack up with; Jodie, his sister, looks out for him, and is bright - she’s a shining beacon in Mungo’s dark life. The tenement is depressing. But there’s a chink of light: pigeon fancier James who lives across the ‘middens’ from Mungo.

It’s clear from the outset that Mungo is gay - but in Glasgow in the 80s, which is when this is likely to be set, this would not be acceptable. Boys in the area demonise the [very likely harmless) man who lives downstairs. Messing around with boys is definitely not the done thing.

For a while, mungo has an intimate relationship with James. This only takes place over a few days, and there is always the lingering threat of James’ dad returning from the rigs. He is a vile, damaged man and it isn’t something that the boys would want him to find out about. However, when the clandestine relationship is discovered by Hamish, Ma-Maw (mum) sends Hamish away with two unknown men she met at AA: Gallowgates and St.Christopher. The weekend is horrendous in so many ways and what is supposed to be a solving-all-the-problems boys-own adventure goes horribly wrong.

Stewart balances storylines beautifully, leading up to a fairly devastating ending. I don’t think I have read a book like this before. I hope others have a superb reading experience like I have had.

I waited a couple of days before writing my review, since this book shook me to say the least. To put it bluntly, it ruined my mood for an entire week. It is beautifully written, however the themes and the mood are bleak and dark for most of the story. I am one to finish books quickly and I wanted to finish this sooner but I had to put down my book after some scenes. Although I am not one to care for or read trigger warnings usually, this book heavily needs some. I don't want to spoil the story but be prepared for scenes of graphic violence.

This story is set in Glasgow and is unmistakably Scottish. I found myself searching every other word or so at the beginning of the book, but I quite enjoyed it. The writing made me feel as if I was living with the characters.

I've rarely finished a book feeling so angry I could cry. If my copy was not on electronic, I would've thrown it on the wall and maybe stomped on it. I am not sure how to review it without spoiling the story but most if not all characters except Mungo made me furious at least once. Mo-maw especially made me lose my shit by the end of the book. But Mungo, sweet little Mungo. I wish I could've shielded him from the world. He broke my fragile heart.

In terms of covers, the US cover is more representative of the story than the UK cover. This is not a romance story, and that cover might push that idea forward.

I honestly thought the story would be bittersweet and just a bit sad. I was unprepared for Young Mungo and wrong. So wrong. This book was horrible experience. 5/5 still.

I read Stuart’s debut novel so I was excited to read his second novel. Let me start off with saying this book was way heavier than I expected. More trigger warnings than his first book.
This took me 45% through to realize it was switching from pst and present (which was an embarrassing realization). With Stuart’s book I enjoy how he writes family dynamics. His writing seems very true to the time they’re set in. I also appreciate him continually writing about Glasgow. I love being immersed into Scotland (I rarely read stories that take place there so this is a joy). i specifically enjoyed his relationship with his sister. I do thinks it’s unfortunate that I have come across another book where the gay character (minor) is subject to pedophilia and rape. Reading those parts were very hard as they were physically brutal to him. This book is also advertised as an epic forbidden love story when that’s VERY minor. James and Mungo don’t develop into a romantic relationship until over half way through.
This story feels pretty hopeless. Horrible things happen to him and he can’t tell anyone as to not bring further shame upon his family. He had to constantly suffer, wondering if he’s capable of being loved. The ending wasn't great. I just felt so tired and distressed. Near the end I was waiting for this to be over.
I rated it 4 stars because I enjoyed the writing and learning how they spoke. Stuart’s protagonist is always the most kindest and gentlest character. I couldn’t help but love Shuggie and I can’t help but love Mungo.
Here are two of my favorite quotes:
“I don’t blame her. I just try to love her.”
“Her brother was her mothers minor moon, her warmest sun, and at the exact same time, a tiny satellite that she had forgotten about. He would orbit her for an eternity, even as she, and he, broke into bits.”

So I read this in the hopes that I would like it better than Shuggie Bain, that I would see what everyone else had seen in that book here. And to a certain extent, I did. For me, this was much more sharply written, and there was much less of ping-ponging between different character POVs before dropping them entirely. You stick close to Mungo and Mungo's family, and that's honestly the biggest strength of this book: the imperfect, well-drawn relationships between the four of them.

Unfortunately, like with Shuggie Bain, it felt like half the point of the story was to drag you from one scene of misery to the next, and here it happens to a degree that you almost feel like the moral of the story is to not be a good-natured person. It isn't, obviously - the ending, which it must be said is outstanding, removes any doubt of that - but there are points when it's just so relentless it's hard to get through. I think the length was a huge detriment here: there were too many little, glancing side stories, too many digressions, which, while not always bleak themselves, really only served to prolong other moments of misery: it was exhausting.

I am glad I gave Stuart another try, if only to see for sure, but I don't know that I'll come back to him again unless his next books are wholly different (say, a family of two kids, instead of a family of three). I don't think I would recommend this off the cuff to anyone - it's so damn sad - but I do think that anyone who enjoyed Shuggie Bain will probably enjoy this one as well.

4 emotional, heartbreaking, hopeful stars for Douglas Stuart’s sophomore novel Young Mungo. I haven’t read Stuart’s debut novel Shuggie Bain so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. Well, I was pleasantly surprised by Stuart’s prose and rich characterization. Young Mungo is a beautiful piece of literary fiction which deals with a multitude of themes: first love between two teen boys, a study of family life if working class Glasgow, and an intimate coming of age story.

Our main character, 15 year old Mungo, lives in a tenement flat with his alcoholic mother and his 16 year old sister Jodie (and surrogate mother). Mungo’s older brother Hamish comes and goes as he’s the leader of the Billy Boys, a gang of Protestant boys who engage in petty crime, theft, and feuds with the neighboring Catholic gang.

Despite his mother’s alcoholism and her failure to provide a stable home (she often disappears for stretches at a time, leaving Mungo and Jodie to fend for themselves), Mungo’s love for her remains steadfast.

“Everything about this boy was about his mother. He lived for her in a way that she had never lived for him. It was as though Mo-Maw was a puppeteer, and she had the tangled, knotted strings of him in her hands. She animated every gesture he made: the timid smile, the thrumming nerves, the anxious biting, the worry, the pleasing, the way he made himself smaller in any room he was in, the watchful way he stood on the edge before committing, and the kindness, the big, big love.”

Along with family, masculinity is a prevalent theme throughout the novel. Mungo grapples with his personal struggles (shyness, feelings of inadequacy, a facial tic) and an increasing pressure to conform to society’s and Hamish’s views on which traits a real man should possess. When Mungo meets James, a teen boy who raises pigeons, the two secretly become romantically involved since they know the consequences would be disastrous if their families were to find out.

The novel plays out in two timelines, one leading up to Mungo and James’s introduction and relationship, the second follows Mungo’s fishing trip with two ex-cons from his mother’s AA group (set up as an attempt to toughen Mungo up). There is a sense of foreboding throughout the novel which drew me into the story, making me want to read more. This is a slow burn story where you’ll get to know the characters, you’ll hope for them, and shed tears for them.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Probably no surprise here that I’ve given Young Mungo five stars. If you’ve read Shuggie Bain you will know how wonderful Douglas Stuart’s writing is, and Young Mungo was no different, another masterpiece.

Douglas Stuart once again brings to the forefront the struggles of living in Glasgow. Highlighting addiction, poverty, homophobia, abuse, neglect and many more of the tough topics we have come to expect from his writing. I did find this one darker than Shuggie Bain (and there were some really difficult parts to read) but there are many wonderful and heartwarming moments as we see Mungo discover his sexuality and form a relationship with James, who is a Catholic. It was never going to be smooth sailing for them, and we see this as Douglas takes us on Mungo’s journey. I won’t say too much, but even through the dark moments Douglas’ writing fills you with hope and you can’t help but bond with Mungo and want the best for him.

I did find some of the characters and family set up quite similar to Shuggie Bain but I guess this would be how most family dynamics were at this time. Nevertheless another brilliant novel from Douglas Stuart .

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading "Young Mungo" - I haven't read Stuart's previous work, but heard good things about it. I'm so happy I jumped into this Big Unknown though. "Young Mungo" is literary fiction at its best: emotional, heartbreaking, incredibly raw. I admit, at times it was really hard to read. I didn't expect the darker themes and wasn't prepared for them (a trigger warning for rape is necessary). It's generally a very hard-hitting read, very bleak, with mostly unlikeable characters around Mungo. They are all complex and deep and very well developed though..
Now, the plot itself is nothing inherently new, and I wasn't surprised by its major developments. But I really liked the raw, atmospheric writing and was sucked into Mungo's life from page 1. It's not an easy read, but it's strangely alluring and it leaves a lasting impression. Yes, part of that impression is that my heart is broken but hey - I do love books that destroy me!
Definitely going to look into Stuart's previous work now. A solid 4 star read.

I mean, what a story.
There are few books this year that have been so compelling, so riveting and so compulsively readable than Young Mungo by acclaimed author Douglas Stuart.

The story follows Mungo a young boy on the spectrum wrestling with his acceptance of his sexuality, his religion and living in a heterocentric world where boys like him wouldn't; dare to be themselves from fear of being ostracized, or worse meeting a violent end. Mungo meets James a boy who gives him his first kiss, his first love- his first everything when Mungo finds himself having to choose between family and love.

This story was so moving, heartbreaking and relatable on so many levels from fearing coming out and the inner turmoil gay people experience through that ordeal to the threat of very real violence for being who you always have been. Highly recommend this read coming on 4/25/2022

I’ll admit, I didn’t actually finish reading Douglas Stuart’s past book “Shuggie Bain” (I was probably the only one who didn’t), as I found it a bit hard to get into, but it still on my shelf ready for me to start again. But even so, I really was keen to read Young Mungo.

Douglas doesn’t shy away from depicting the negatives of a young person’s life in troubled circumstances - it’s all there in it’s brutal glory. The only Scotland I know is the one I’ve visited in the past 20 or so. The warm, bright, fun, inviting Scotland, so to see the country written about in a different mindset is a real eye-opener. You can definitely feel Douglas’ personal connection with his characters and their troubles in every word.

It is atmospheric, light in places and deeply dark in others, with a clever use of two time periods to show the physical and emotional confliction in Mungo. There’s a sense of Romeo and Juliet about this book, a forbidden love across two people, two cultures, two beliefs - a theme that still resonates to, especially when regrading culture or religion.

If I’m honest, I am not a huge fan of when an author writes in a particular accent, “ah cannae ‘member…comin’ oot the city”; things like that. That’s not a negative of this book in particular, it’s just a writing style that I don’t get on with, I much prefer to come to the accents and dialects naturally in my own mind when I read, but I’m aware that writing like this can help some readers understand the characters more.

There have been some criticisms that I’ve read that say this book is too similar to Shuggie Bain in its themes, characters, and writing style - having not read all of Shuggie Bain, I cannot comment either way - but it would be interesting to see if Douglas continues in this genre, or surprises us all with a new direction. Either way, it breathes success.

I don’t think this is a book for everyone - it is rough reading mentally and emotionally in a lot of places, but Douglas excels at creating a much-talked about, emotional, and powerful story.

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. I had to dnf it. Hopefully I will be able to get back to it in the future, when I'm in a better headspace to read it. Please don't let this review discourage you from reading it.

Both inspiring and heartbreaking, ‘Young Mungo’ follows, on the one hand, 16-year-old Mungo Hamilton’s struggle to survive while stranded on a camping trip with two strange men, and, on the other, the events of the previous year that got him in that situation in the first place.

Plot-wise, I must admit I found the novel to be quite predictable. From the moment that we learn about Mungo’s sister Jodie’s affair with an older man or about his brother Hamish’s connections to gang violence, the outcome of both storylines feels inevitable and, honestly, something that we’ve seen a hundred times before. However, the author’s wonderful crafting of three-dimensional characters makes it somewhat easy to forget this, allowing, still, for an enjoyment of the story’s progression.

In regards to the narration of the book, I found the writing style to be beautiful, if a bit tedious at points, with extremely long descriptions that had me skimming the pages a couple of times. The main issue I had with the writing style was the dialogue — while quite realistic in their wording, the lines were written the same way that they would have been spoken so as to show the characters’ accents. To me, this trick got very old very fast, though it may have been because I’m not a native English speaker, which made it a bit hard, in the beginning, to know what the characters were saying (especially when the peculiar writing style was combined with very specific slang).

Overall, I quite enjoyed the novel’s slow-burn progression, the slow build-up to the main action, but I feel that I must say — even if it is marketed as a romance, I found ‘Young Mungo’ to be more of a character study of Mungo, including a romantic storyline, rather than a whole romance novel as one might be led to believe.

(Please check the trigger warnings before reading.)