WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
I only caught a part of the author’s interview on NPR describing his own Glasgow upbringing in the 90’s with a mother much like Alice. I rushed to pick up this memoir only to realize it is a novel. It will be clear to any reader that only someone who actually walked in Hugh “Shuggie” Bain’s shoes, could have written this debut book. Masterful writing. Eye-opening. After reading this, some might even make better decisions about alcohol…..
“Every now and then a novel comes along that feels necessary and inevitable. I’ll never forget Shuggie and Agnes or the incredibly detailed Glasgow they inhabit. This is the rare contemporary novel that reads like an instant classic. I’ll be thinking and talking about Shuggie Bain―and teaching it―for quite some time.”―Garrard Conley, New York Times-bestselling author of Boy Erased
“There’s no way to fake the life experience that forms the bedrock of Douglas Stuart’s wonderful Shuggie Bain. No way to fake the talent either. Shuggie will knock you sideways.”―Richard Russo, author of Chances Are
“Compulsively readable . . . In exquisite detail, the book describes the devastating dysfunction in Shuggie’s family, centering on his mother’s alcoholism and his father’s infidelities, which are skillfully related from a child’s viewpoint . . . As it beautifully and shockingly illustrates how Shuggie ends up alone, this novel offers a testament to the indomitable human spirit. Very highly recommended.”―Library Journal (starred review)
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