Recent Reading: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

 

I just finished Douglas Stuart's novel Shuggie Bain. I think it is a remarkable book; it has an honesty and real emotional power. But I will admit that I almost gave up before I got to page 80 or so. Stuart's book is written in a working-class Glasgow dialect about a world I know something about. But, after that initial difficulty I did find the book engaging and worth my time.

Shuggie (Hugh) Bain is the narrator and an important character in the book. But the real hero of the book is Shuggie's mother, Agnes. She struggles with and, ultimately, succumbs to alcohol addiction. But up until the end she has a grit and a dignity that make for a fascinating character, at least in my opinion.