A review by wendoxford
Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart

2.0

Getting over half way through, I decided that I could no longer commit myself to such unflinching misery and the minutiae of poverty. I only persevered this far as the narrative evoked such an extraordinary sense of place with the decimation of society during Thatcher's Britain.

There were redeeming features. I could conjure up the characters brilliantly from their actions, could see/understand the political, emotional and sectarian landscape with all its fallout and yet...it was SO painful in its portrayal of all this led by an alcoholic materfamilias. Just so relentlessly depressing