Shuggie Bain

The Heart's Invisible Furies meets Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland meets A Little Life in Douglas Stuart's prize-listed debut novel. This book felt like a rainy Glasgow day, a damp that will never lift.

Like another Goodreads reviewer stated, it would make more sense for this book to be titled Agnes Bain. Yes, we observe Agnes's destructive behavior through the lens of her son Shuggie's dysfunctional and undernourished childhood. But more than that, we learn of Agnes's empty relationships, constant temptations, and crippling loneliness that fuels her addiction.

A book that is equally desperate and devastating. The myriad struggles of Shuggie and Agnes are heart-wrenching but vital to tell the story of our modern lives and how we got here. Despite the sadness prevalent throughout, it is never heartbreaking.

An achievement and a top notch audiobook. Narration could not have been bett.er

Set in Scotland, this novel had the feel of a much, much darker variation of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn in all the right ways. A child growing up in a struggling and deeply troubled family, this book is full of heartbreak.

The Shuggie Bain audiobook was narrated with a gloriously accented voice that suited this story perfectly. The narrator was very engaging and brought each character and the winding plot to life.

It is no wonder this engaging work of fiction is short listed for book awards. It was brimming with disturbing content but somehow, was wonderful.

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Shuggie Bain is the touching story of a young boy whose mother is an alcoholic and how he struggles to love her while hating her for her drinking. Often we don't know why people turn to alcohol but in this book the author is adept in showing how the changes in government policies have created a shift in jobs for the working class.

The narrator is what makes this audiobook so powerful.

This book brought tears to my eyes. I cried for Shuggie and I cried for Agnes. Trapped in the dysfunction of her alcoholism she allows herself to be taken advantage of and abused by men. Her children - for as much as they love her - seek escape from the neglect, the embarrassment, and the disorder of their lives. As the older children flee young Shuggie is left behind to fend for himself and take care of their mother. He has this enduring hope that he can save her from herself but every time she relapses he feels at fault.

Although he finds a friend in Leeann, Shuggie does not fit in with the normal crowd. He talks posh and carries himself differently than the other boys. As he comes to terms with his sexuality he is bullied and battered.

There were times that I had to put this one aside. Sad for sure and authentic to Glasgow during the Thatcher era, Stuart's characters call out to you. Excellent debut! Wishing Shuggie Bain and Douglas Stuart the best of luck in its bid for the Man Booker and National Book Awards.

It's absolutely heart wrenching. The story of Shuggie Bain also largely follows his mother, Agnes Bain, who is the tragic, wonderful, messy, self-destructive alcoholic mother of Shuggie. The family was headed by her and Big Shug, a philandering taxi cab driver that leaves when he can't handle his life anymore. Their oldest kids find ways to escape Agnes and her drink, leaving Shuggie to take care of his mother. It's really heartbreaking all the small ways Shuggie learns how to take care of his mother given his young age. There is a scene when they're together in a room and a fire starts, which worries Shuggie, but Agnes holds on tight, enjoying herself. At this time, you realize just how much Shuggie's life is teetering on the ability of his mother to hold things together. Often times we see that she's trying to act sober and puts on a good show by wearing immaculate make-up and sharp clothes to give the appearance of having things in order, in large part thanks to Shuggie's efforts. She's supportive of him and clearly loves him, but he's as lonely as her. He finds himself struggling to be like normal boys, but he must come to terms with bullies over his sexuality. It's wonderful and the audiobook's narrator does a fantastic job of bringing all the characters and drama to life! Great casting!

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart is one of the most complex books I’ve listened to. I listened to this one on audiobook and the narrator is wonderful, but it is really hard to keep track of what is going on if you are not really concentrating. I found myself having to go back and listen to parts to figure out what I missed. The story is not easy to listen to in parts- there is nothing “fluffy”. It’s gritty and at times disturbing. It’s definitely an honest look into this complex family. I think it deserves all the accolades and praise is is getting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Excellent book and excellent narrator. Such a beautiful story to listen to and the narrator made it feel exceptionally personal and real.

I had read several very positive reviews written about Snuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart and was so looking forward to reading this book. When the opportunity came to listen to the audiobook I was overjoyed. Right from the start I was lured into Shuggie’s story. It opened my eyes to how the powerful combination of addiction and poverty could change the dynamics of family life. Snuggie Baines focused on the brutal and devastating consequences of extreme poverty, alcoholism, role reversals, and abuse. It took place in the 1980’s in Glasgow. The Thatcher government had instilled devastating policies and as they were enacted it became apparent how they negatively affected the people of Glasgow tremendously. The very poor were living in welfare housing during that time. They viewed their lives with despair and often became depressed. It was not uncommon for many of those poor citizens to come to rely on alcohol as a means of escape. This was what happened to Shuggie’s mother, Agnes. Her three children learned to live with an alcoholic mother in a world none of them liked or had asked for. Shuggie Bain was a character driven book that touched upon every one of my emotions.

The brilliant writing from Douglas Stuart captured and depicted the essence of what Shuggie’s life was like. Shuggie was the youngest child of an alcoholic mother, Agnes. She was often found to be in a compromised state that caused her to neglect her three children and other responsibilities as a mother. The combination and reality of those things pushed Shuggie to grow up faster than necessary or expected. Shuggie was not like the other boys his age. He did not fit the mold of what a boy his age was expected to be like by the overall society of that time. It was obvious that Shuggie was gay even though it was not directly stated. That made it hard for Shuggie to make friends and he was often picked on, bullied and even abused. Even some adults were unkind to Shuggie and also abused him. Despite everything, though, there was a loyal, loving and caring bond between Shuggie and his mother. Shuggie always found ways to be resilient and never lost hope for better days and times. Agnes’s and Shuggie’s relationship was intense and not in the normal realm of a typical mother-son relationship. Shuggie became the care giver. He went to great lengths to keep his mother safe and alive.

I was touched emotionally and so moved by this book. It was hard to believe that this was Douglas Stuart’s debut book. Shuggie Bain was a beautiful and tragic book and one of the better books I have read. Shuggie’s story will stay with me for a long time. It has been short listed for the 2020 Booker Prize.Finalist Book Awards.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this- it was beautifully written and kept my attention for the most part. Definitely excited to see what the author does next!

What a remarkable, heart-wrenching and honest story of a Scottish family and the difficult lives they lead in poverty. The main character, Shuggie, is the youngest son to a dysfunctional family. We meet him as a precocious and young child who grows into a teen throughout the story. He has a raging alcoholic as a mother, who never felt that she was living the life she deserved. His father was a philanderer who changed families as fast as things got rough in his current situation. Shug, the dad, was always dallying on the side and then ready to move on when life wore him down. The older siblings each gradually moved away for their own security and to live their lives leaving poor Shuggie to care for himself and his mother and her self destructive ways. Shuggie has a rough life for multiple reasons given his challenging family situation as well as neglect due to those circumstances. He becomes the subject of bullying, abuse, neglect and truancy. He is a complex character whose own gender identity appears to be a part of his story without it being his only story.
This book was brilliantly written and narrated by Angus King, who brought the dialect from the written pages to life. I highly recommend the audiobook. I had the physical book prior to getting a copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and it adds so much to the reading experience. The language is beautiful and the story is compelling.
In reading the author’s notes at the end, I was even more impressed at the author for using his own experience as the backdrop for the novel. Douglas Stuart created a wonderful reading experience.
I highly recommend this for anyone who likes a dark family drama.
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