Shuggie Bain: A Review

 RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW: Addiction, sexual abuse, child abuse, depression, suicide

Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh “Shuggie” Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher’s policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city’s notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings. Shuggie’s mother Agnes walks a wayward path: she is Shuggie’s guiding light but a burden for him and his siblings. She dreams of a house with its own front door while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue, ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her grey life. Married to a philandering, taxi-driver husband, Agnes keeps her pride by looking good – her beehive, make-up, and pearly-white false teeth offer a glamorous image of a Glaswegian Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing solace in drink, and she drains away the lion’s share of each week’s benefits – all the family has to live on – on cans of extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs. Agnes’ older children find their own ways to get a safe distance from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to care for her as she swings between alcoholic binges and sobriety. Shuggie is meanwhile struggling to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to be, but everyone has realized that he is “no right”, a boy with a secret that all but him can see. Agnes is supportive of her son, but her addition has the power to eclipse everyone close to her – even her beloved Shuggie.

 

This book was the 2020 Booker Prize winner and it was 100% deserved. I received this book as a Christmas present from my aunt and uncle, and it was a book that I couldn’t put down. It is hard to believe that Shuggie Bain is Douglas Stuart’s first book as it is so beautifully written. 

 

Set in the 1980s in Glasgow, Shuggie Bain is a heart-breaking story which shows the difficult reality of many living in Glasgow during the time of Thatcher-era Scotland. Shuggie Bain is the youngest of three children living with his alcoholic mother Agnes. His father is a notorious cheat, eventually leaving the family for a woman he works with. Agnes, meanwhile, is struggling with alcoholism which has negative effects on her relationship with her children. As the children grow up, both Shuggie’s sister and brother leave their mother, unable to cope with her long periods of addiction and sporadic periods of sobriety. This leaves Shuggie to care for his mother whom he loves dearly but never knows what mother will there when he wakes up. While in the throes of her addiction, Agnes spends the majority of the family’s benefit money, which is the only income they have, on lager and vodka and making morally questionable decisions that have a lasting negative effect on her mental health. Not only is Shuggie having to care for his mother as he grows older but he is also struggling to become a “normal boy” that he desperately wants to be. Everyone around him maintains that he is “no right” and is different from the other boys his age. Despite her flaws, Agnes deeply loves and cares for her son, creating a complex relationship between the pair that is plagued by many low points whilst having some highs. However, Agnes’ addiction is ultimately stronger than even her love for her youngest son.

 

Shuggie Bain is not a story with a happy ending but a story with an ending that is reality. It shows how humans can preserve through so much and still have the capacity to love. The realities of addiction and general life for many in Glasgow’s poorer areas during the 1980s provides a heart-breaking theme throughout the book. Shuggie’s love for his mother is a powerful constant throughout the book, as he views her as the centre of his world but Agnes’ addiction is overwhelming. Ultimately, the book is a tragic story of addiction, sexuality and love centred around a working-class family that is not a far cry from the reality of those living in Glasgow and other mining towns. 

 

I absolutely loved reading this book. I loved that it was written in the Glasgow dialect which I grew up hearing and set in a place that I am somewhat familiar with, knowing people and having family who have similar stories of growing up in the west coast of Scotland during that time period. The book is a striking story that is also heartbreakingly sad. Your heart goes out to the characters as they battle addiction, financial insecurity, and their own identities. I do highly recommend this book. It is so well deserving of the Booker Prize.

Until next time, I'll continue reading with wanderlust.

📚🧳✈️🗺