This is Michael Maxwell with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Today, I am recommending Shuggie Bain, a Booker Prize-winning novel by Douglas Stuart.
Shuggie Bain is, at its heart, a story about the bond between a mother and son. Agnes is a beautiful young alcoholic living in Glasgow with three children and a revolving door of taxi driver boyfriends. These are the Thatcher years in Scotland, and austerity is the rule of the land. Agnes often uses money meant for utilities for her special brews that she shares with the enablers around her- all to the detriment of her heartbroken children.
Agnes is the Elizabeth Taylor of their council flats, and her beauty combined with her drinking problem make her the envied target of her neighbors. Her three children react to her alcoholism in drastically different ways- with Shuggie’s older sister moving to South Africa and his brother retreating into a deep depression, it’s left to Shuggie to take care of his household.
The relationship between Shuggie and Agnes feels so real that readers will find themselves quickly invested in their intertwining stories. This is the kind of novel that really makes you root for its unforgettable characters. I saw myself in this story, and I know many other readers will too.
Shuggie Bain is also one of the most realistic depictions of how families struggle with alcoholism I have ever read, and Shuggie’s femininity makes him the target of insidious homophobia that also feels all too authentic to what many boys who grew up in that era experienced. These problems are certainly dramatic, but they are also completely recognizable, relatable, and real.
Check out Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, and other award-winning modern classics at the Sioux City Public Library today!
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