Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart

Well I finally read the 2020 Booker Prize winning novel, Shuggie Bain, and wow - what a rollercoaster it was. Gritty, raw, visceral, profound... I can totally see why this novel has been adored by so many readers.

The novel begins in 1992, when Hugh 'Shuggie' Bain is an adult, and quickly jumps back to 1981, in Pithead, Glasgow. Shuggie's mother Agnes is an alcoholic, yet despite the nights Shuggie finds her covered in her own vomit, stumbling home in the early hours and spending all their benefit money on Special Brew, Shuggie unconditionally adores his mother.

The novel explores the tumultuous relationship between mother and son as a young Shuggie struggles to come to terms with his own identity in the unforgiving back end of Glasgow. Agnes has suffered abusive relationship after abusive relationship, and Shuggie's patience with his mother is unchanging - though despite his unwavering devotion, he pleads with her to get sober.

This is a heartbreaking and gutsy portrait of family, addiction and unconditional love. Stuart's writing is hypnotising - hard, brash, stark, yet with glimmers of beauty and optimism. If you're in a rocky place emotionally, I would personally give this one a miss for a while. But if you're feeling prepared, this is a beautifully moving novel which you won't forget in a hurry.