WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FINALIST FOR
THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A stunning debut novel by a masterful
writer telling the heartwrenching story of a young boy and his
alcoholic mother, whose love is only matched by her pride. Shuggie
Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain, a
sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down
public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher's policies have put
husbands and sons out of work, and the city's notorious drugs
epidemic is waiting in the wings. Shuggie's mother Agnes walks a
wayward path: she is Shuggie's guiding light but a burden for him
and his siblings. She dreams of a house with its own front door
while she flicks through the pages of the Freemans catalogue,
ordering a little happiness on credit, anything to brighten up her
grey life. Married to a philandering taxi-driver husband, Agnes
keeps her pride by looking good--her beehive, make-up, and
pearly-white false teeth offer a glamorous image of a Glaswegian
Elizabeth Taylor. But under the surface, Agnes finds increasing
solace in drink, and she drains away the lion's share of each
week's benefits--all the family has to live on--on cans of
extra-strong lager hidden in handbags and poured into tea mugs.
Agnes's older children find their own ways to get a safe distance
from their mother, abandoning Shuggie to care for her as she swings
between alcoholic binges and sobriety. Shuggie is meanwhile
struggling to somehow become the normal boy he desperately longs to
be, but everyone has realized that he is "no right," a boy with a
secret that all but him can see. Agnes is supportive of her son,
but her addiction has the power to eclipse everyone close to
her--even her beloved Shuggie. A heartbreaking story of addiction,
sexuality, and love, Shuggie Bain is an epic portrayal of a
working-class family that is rarely seen in fiction. Recalling the
work of Edouard Louis, Alan Hollinghurst, Frank McCourt, and Hanya
Yanagihara, it is a blistering debut by a brilliant novelist who
has a powerful and important story to tell.
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