A review by janey
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

4.0

This is as good as everyone says it is, but you can't get there if you open it with those expectations. The first readers of Shuggie Bain are like the first people to see Little Miss Sunshine -- the film was startlingly good for what it was, just a little story, told well, but the message received by the world began and ended at "startlingly good" so many people in the second and later waves weren't startled and so were less enthusiastic. So what I'm saying is: when you pick up Shuggie Bain, forget the nominations and the Booker, forget the praise you've heard, and just remember that this is a debut novel about a family strained by poverty, alcoholism, insufficient education, few opportunities, poor choices, and provincial attitudes.