A review by emmaisabelle
Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wish this book hadn’t beaten Real Life by Brandon Taylor for the Booker because I LOVE that book and unfortunately couldn’t stop myself from comparing the two even though they’re so different.
I loved the way the book zeroed in on Shuggie and Agnes’s relationship. I went in thinking it was more going to be about Shuggie but it really is about them
both and their relationship and the havoc addiction wreaks on a family. This book is just… so heartbreaking and raw. It does a great job of evoking the pain of being a child of an alcoholic. I may be alone in this but I deeply felt for Agnes throughout. I really devoured the second half and finished it in a day. I think Stuart did a great job of also helping readers deeply understand Leek, Catherine and the other side characters without really having to go or their heads or focus on them. Shuggie isn’t the most reliable narrator but we can really feel their emotions and motivations despite that through the whole book.
I loved the way the book zeroed in on Shuggie and Agnes’s relationship. I went in thinking it was more going to be about Shuggie but it really is about them
both and their relationship and the havoc addiction wreaks on a family. This book is just… so heartbreaking and raw. It does a great job of evoking the pain of being a child of an alcoholic. I may be alone in this but I deeply felt for Agnes throughout.
Spoiler
When she relapsed, my heart broke and like Leek, I was ready to beat up Eugene too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Homophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry