Shuggie Bain: The Pros and Cons (Mostly Pros)

Booker Prize Winner Shuggie Bain is a topical book, and one of the big books of 2020. Though it's set in 1980s Thatcher Britain, its circumstances and tragedies certainly reflect today's Tory/Brexit Britain. Despite some flaws (it's too long and too full of awkward adjectives), the book is still a wonderful examination of love's power to hold fast and strong against so much pain and adversity. A good book.
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[@kursatgultekin2591]

read it in a couple of days. with tears in my eyes in the last few chapters. As I closed the book, I admired Agnes and felt so much respect for her. She was very strong, I thought, despite all.

[@ecosseza4030]

A spot-on review. Overly descriptive as you say, and somewhat drags out the misery of enjoyment. I grew up 30 miles from Shuggie - (you pronounce it wrong, it's not Shoogie - Shug{gie} is a "wee hard man's" kind of name). The Thatcherite topic is stretching it in the beginning - this was 3 years before the Miners Strike of 84 and Thatcher had only been in power less than 2 years by 81, but the reality was that Glasgow was slowly deprived of heavy industry, whether it be the cause of unions, previous government or other is not on my agenda. Had my parents not been orphaned they may have had the same life as Shuggie, but they didn't and made something of their lives that Agnes would've aspired to. This book made me realise I went to school with at least a dozen "Shuggies" - of any sexual orientation - the sadder part being they knew at least 2 dozen more.

[@utkrishtikatheriya351]

This is such a relatable review, I agree with your observations! Although the book is really long and descriptive, it did help me absorb the world. The way you ended the review, drawing up the parallels with the contemporary problems, that was awesome. For me, the book made me cry at so many places. Like you I was really distressed in the scene where Shuggie dips his doll in the spilled oil to give it a rainbow coating. I was also distressed when McAvennie kids were looking through his window while he was dancing and he felt like crying. There are so many psychological symptoms like he taking on to repeating old football game scores to fit in and cope with his troubles or having bowel issues as a stress response. This novel gave me a closer perspective to how alcoholism affects families, I am still distressed by the scene where Agnes almost jumped off the window naked. Also I absolutely resonate with that colour palette observation and in that sense Agnes's pink angora sweater with it beads stands out. Lastly it is cute how you say Thatcherist and Thatcherian .

[@kylebates6444]

Terrific job mate! I really loved the characters and the overall attention to subtle connections that create and develop relationships and the diversity of perspectives on them. It’s a downtrodden family cycle of abuse, with shuggie,the one who’s compassionate the most, unable to be weighed down by the abuse of others, including the complexities and the realities of what loving ones family can bring.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Wonderfully put!

[@arcadiorosas9849]

I love your review! I appreciate how you structure it to give space for your thoughts on the story, style, merit, and issues. It's really complete. Having said that, I feel like the criticism focused on violence and precarity loses grasp of the characters' intentions and desires. I agree with you, people in these environments can be larger than life. I do think the book conveys kindness in the community and a strong social fabric. It just comes tinted with the added dimension of being queer and foreign to the micro-universe of the town.

[@stefankristinsson4735]

Great review! I didn’t pick up on the overwhelming usage of adjectives until u brought it up 😅 This book remains my best reads in 2020

[@rubyparchment5523]

1. When Agnes finds out that Shug is just dumping them off, why doesn’t she just go back home to her parents? The kids needed them for stability. 2. Shrug’s decision to settle with the frumpy Dispatcher and her brood was fateful. WHY did he choose her over glamorous Agnes?

[@ameliareads589]

You are so fantastic in doing reviews! And they are so balanced! I was nodding along, while I was listening to you, describing all the details. I really liked this book, mainly because of the underlying comment on politics, the love and the darkness in it. I also agree that you can see the debut in there. But it is still a good one, I have read a lot worse.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thank you so much! I loved the book for all the same reasons, despite its atmosphere really taking its toll on me after a while.

[@ameliareads589]

@@WillowTalksBooks But then it worked, didn't it? It was supposed to do so, to get this atmosphere across. If you would have felt otherwise, it would have failed. I actually enjoy, if books that want to show me sad things in life, actually make me sad and don't leave me cold.

[@nigelmcclatchey4490]

I'm halfway through the novel, and this is a very fair and accurate review. I also know something of the milieu "Shuggie Bain" is set in having grown up in a working-class environment in Northern Ireland and graduated from a Scottish University where many of my peers were from working-class schemes in Glasgow. I should say, however, I think you're wrong about the current state of Tory Britain. The economy in post-Brexit and post-Covid Britain is going to make the Thatcher years of the 80s seem like the teddy-bears' picnic. I was looking for something current and (dare I say it?) almost Zolaesque, and I found it in "Shuggie Bain". Thank you for the review.

[@cbcb102]

Love your style in reviewing this book. Well balanced, thank you.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@jenntendo64system]

The ending! The cycle continues...we can never give up on the ones we love!

[@ladaffodilion]

No. The ending offers a smoothing revelation that Shuggie would not be lonely as he finds confidence and friendship with another person.

[@helenclements5789]

Exactly! It improves slightly for Shuggie but he’s still pretty much alone in the grand scheme of things and his friend’s mum is going through the same issues that his mum did. Also, the teen pregnancies; babies having babies! The cycle continues.

[@charliejsanders]

I want to keep watching but I’m only 100 pages in and nervous for spoilers! I’ll be back.

[@pastorbrendawalker]

Just finished Shuggie Bain and I love your review, spot on!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aw thank you! I forgot about this video lol

[@helenclements5789]

I always know that your reviews are going to do the book justice and so I trust your instincts and opinions as they coincide with mine, most of the time. I like how you review the writing style and structure, not just the narrative. Keep them coming!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

That's such a huge compliment, thank you so much!

[@AshleyZieman]

Ok update, I'm so happy to have come across your channel!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aw thank you!

[@DesmoDreams]

Really good review! I've finished the book recently, and thought it was beautifully written and very moving, (I still get choked up just thinking about the ending...). Maybe one of the most powerful books I've read, and I would definitely recommend it. I agree it was overly long though, and, despite all the wit, it's often relentlessly depressing. There were times when I wondered how much more I could take. Its probably worth mentioning that my family is from Glasgow, I know the city well, and I was often uncomfortable with Stewarts description of the people. Apart from the odd decent character, pretty much everyone in the book is unlikeable. Maybe Stewarts trying to say that the devastation that Glasgow suffered through Thatcherism dehumanised its working class population. Anyway, he paints a very grim portrait of the city, but if you've never been to Glasgow don't let this book put you off visiting, it's a great city! Interesting what you said about an abundance of adjectives being a sign of a debut novel. I'm working on the third draft of my first novel at the moment, so I'll be checking it through for an excess of adjectives first thing tomorrow

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I completely agree that Stewart is overly cruel to his characters and it seems as though he holds a grudge against the city itself. I also agree that it was probably an attempt at highlighting dehumanisation, as you said. I love Scotland very dearly but haven't yet visited Glasgow. I do want to though!

[@artiesolomon3292]

great description of characters. thank you for your enthusiasm.

[@louisethomson7553]

I had ex in-laws in Sighthill and visited there a lot but was from Penilee originally. People there were good hearted up Pinkston drive way.There was a lot of crime there in the seventies but notice a lot of new houses and high rises are gone so big changes there and hopefully for the better.🤔🤗

[@carad2008]

I think you absolutely nailed it. At least, I had the exact same thoughts about the book. Well done!

[@nataliemanuel5203]

Amazing review, I get a real sense of the novel and if it's worth it for me to try, a yes.

[@emiliabolsas]

Just finished the book! Thanks for this helpful review. It was absolutely too long, though it went quickly towards the end. I enjoyed the ending, too, which I don’t normally say with a lot of books. I found the descriptions of scenery especially lacking. Too wordy, as you mention, but also too … specific? I have never been to Glasgow and therefore have no reference point - and unfortunately came away with very little imagery. I wasn’t always clear why the third-person narrator also used Scottish-specific vocabulary instead of a more general language for the reader.

[@VisualiseTheFun]

I have a question: what is actually the problem with being very descriptive?

[@LydiaMorsman]

I 100% agree. I come from a 80’s council estate background, not a mining community but there was one close by. I think the critics are right, in that these people were salt of the earth, and looking out for each other. But I also think we tend to look at our pasts with rose tinted glasses, and families like the ones in this novel did exist back then, and still do today. I found this a dark read, the bit when (spoilers ahead) Eugene encourages her to drink because his ego got in the way, made me so mad I wanted to throw my phone across the room (I listened on audible). And the sexual abuse in general, particularly the bit when Shuggie was in the taxi for the second time and offered himself, was just soul destroying. I had to have nights off this book, to look at kittens and rainbows that were not oily puddles. I noticed the adjectives, and occasionally was unsure of which head I was in. I didn’t realise this was 10 years in the making. Douglas Stuart gets away with it, because the story overcompensates. Nice review, I’ve subbed.

[@andrewrussell2845]

Sorry to be a pedant but it's Shuggie, rather than Shoogie. Great video though and I'm really getting into your channel content.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

You're not the first to mention it. My only frame of reference before I made the video was other videos about the book, and I just had to trust that they got it right. My bad! But thank you.

[@fraser1237]

reading it now. takes you somewhere else, that's for sure.

[@AshleyZieman]

That intro alone got me hooked!

[@67Parsifal]

I’m currently reading this and, so far, I’d agree with your comments. It IS over-written and there ARE too many adjectives. But the characters are compelling and I want to read on. It seems extra-brilliant after my previous book (Malcolm Cowley’s execrable Under The Volcano) which felt like serving a short prison sentence. Oh, and it’s ‘Thatcherite’ rather than ‘Thatcherist’ (I know, I was there). Nice to meet someone who sees this wretched government for what it is ....

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I've never heard or read the word 'execrable' before. Thank you for teaching me a new word :) Fuck the Tories.

[@dereksmallsuk]

Good review... I've just started this book on kindle .... Clearly you're quite clever.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Haha I really wouldn't go that far but thank you. I've been told by a few people that shuggie is pronounced like thug, not like sugar, so I'm not clever enough to look that up before I hit record.

[@gerry4281]

Sorry I disagree about the language. The similies and descriptive language made the book come alive.

[@ladaffodilion]

No. It does not pronounce as Shooggie. Not /u:/. It pronounces /ʌ/.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I know. A lot of people have been kind enough to point it out.

[@anna-zw7ek]

This is the second time this week that I hear someone criticizing the (over-)use of adjectives in books. Why is this considered a bad thing? Is it considered trying too hard or showing off?

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I think it's about finding a balance and setting the right tone. Too many adjectives can be exhausting, awkward, out-of-place etc.

[@scarba]

@@WillowTalksBooksonly three adjectives to describe it ? 😂

[@mcooper4239]

But, fair review of book. Reviewer a wee bit smug. Or it it just me?

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Might be just you but feel free to ask around.

[@mcooper4239]

It probably is me. Sorry 🦋

[@Kristofur77]

Good analysis of the book but it seems like you were looking for minor reasons to beat it up with adjectives and extra 100 pages in the book that's not too important. It's possible, I don't know you obviously but you could be an impatient reader not to criticize you but that could be why you felt that way.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

I’m a critic. I had to criticise it 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@Kristofur77]

@@WillowTalksBooks I hear ya, i thought read tempo was fine, James Joyce a wordy Irish writer or Melville in parts of Moby Dick. I listened to Shuggie on Audible, they did a great job with Irish accents, one positive feature about audiobooks.

[@engelberthumperdinck7366]

Good book THE INCREDIBLE RISE OF A GORBALS GANGSTER BRILLIANT AMAZON BOOKS colin macfarlane

[@WillowTalksBooks]

CHEERS, ENGELBERT, BOOKS ARE GREAT

[@herbertvonzinderneuf8547]

Pronounced "Shuh-Gee" as in buggy, not "Shoo-Gee"

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Yeah mate, lot of people have pointed that out.

[@herbertvonzinderneuf8547]

@@WillowTalksBooks Sorry. As a Scot it irks a bit. On a more positive note, I really enjoyed your review. I actually found the book disappointing, finding both Shuggie and Agnes unrelatable characters. I wanted more Leek. 😊

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Aye this video’s old and I actually live in Glasgow myself now, so I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Love it here :)

[@alexmcc4576]

It's Shuggie not Shoogie in terms of pronunciation.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Cheers.

[@sophieshaeffer]

Is this the guy from Ruby Sparks? ✍️ 📚 🐛

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Not a guy but I fuckin love that film.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Also, my partner genuinely looks like Paul Dano. If I do, too, that's pretty cool I guess.

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Also also, you can say "are you" instead of "is this". Sorry for all the replies. Your comment just had so much to unpack. KZbin commenters are wild.

[@sophieshaeffer]

Oh okay my bad sorry! New to your channel which is a gem! Keep it up! 💫

[@WillowTalksBooks]

@@sophieshaeffer Thank you very much! I'm glad you're enjoying my videos.

[@bahaeddinebalti7917]

is it good ? NO

[@WillowTalksBooks]

CAPS LOCK POWER!!!

[@josephberrie9550]

I was given this book as a birthday gift and am very happy to say i didnt waste my own money on it I was born and brought up in this area Sighthill as a child in the fifties and sixties before they built the high rise flats and cannot emphasise enough how silly this book is where absolutely everyone is a sexual predator or a nasty piece of work it is just absolute nonsense

[@gerryjtierney]

Shoogie? Shuggie!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

SHUGGIE!!! 😡

[@mcooper4239]

Who is this guy? Total prat!!

[@WillowTalksBooks]

Agreed. What a prick.