Over a lovely lunch, we discussed ‘Shuggie Bain’ by Douglas Stuart.
The book provided a good example of the value of the group. Several members commented that it was not a book that they had really wanted to read.
However all those that had read it felt that, although it got off to a somewhat depressing start, it was a well written and absorbing book that they were glad to have read. It drew us very effectively into the world of a bewildered young boy, who seemed much older than his years, trying to find his way in a brutal environment dominated by poverty, bigotry, and his mother’s alcoholism.
Despite the grim nature of the novel, members appreciated the strong vein of ‘laugh out loud’ moments in the book which provided a strong contrast to some of the more brutal scenes. While this cannot be described as an easy read, in fact extremely uncomfortable in places, it was a book worth reading.
Although the author claims that the novel is not autobiographical, we felt that it would have been almost impossible to capture such a sense of ‘being there’ without having lived through similar scenes.
Read more about Douglas Stuart and Shuggie Bain
Book Bunch is led by Patti Dossett. Contact Patti here