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Shuggie Bain

by Douglas Stuart
Shuggie Bain
Shuggie Bain

Heartrending tale of love amidst Glasgow's decay.

Shuggie Bain might stir something deep within you. It’s a raw and gripping journey through the eyes of a young boy, set within the gritty underbelly of 1980s Glasgow. Douglas Stuart weaves a narrative that not only exposes the devastating impacts of poverty and addiction but also highlights a tender, complex relationship between a mother and son that defies the bleakness around them. If you appreciate storytelling that’s both brutally honest and deeply compassionate, this might just be the next book to leave a lasting impression on your heart.

  • Booker Prize (2020)
  • British Book Award for Book of the Year (2021)
  • Orwell Prize Nominee for Political Fiction for Longlist (2021)
  • Magnesia Litera for Translation (Litera za překladovou knihu) (2023)
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for First Fiction (2020)
  • Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction (2021)
  • Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Fiction (2020)
  • Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2021)
  • The Polari Prize Nominee for First Book (2021)
  • National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2020)
  • Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2020)
  • Saltire Society Literary Award Nominee for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year (2021)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction and for Debut Novel (2020)
  • The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2020)
  • PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Nominee for Shortlist (2021)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Shuggie Bain

by Douglas Stuart
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

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ISBN: 9781529019285
Authors: Douglas Stuart
Publisher: Picador
Date of Publication: 2020-02-20
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary
Related Topics: LGBTQ+
Goodreads rating: 4.31
(rated by 177319 readers)

Description

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 glamourous 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
 

Heartrending tale of love amidst Glasgow's decay.

Shuggie Bain might stir something deep within you. It’s a raw and gripping journey through the eyes of a young boy, set within the gritty underbelly of 1980s Glasgow. Douglas Stuart weaves a narrative that not only exposes the devastating impacts of poverty and addiction but also highlights a tender, complex relationship between a mother and son that defies the bleakness around them. If you appreciate storytelling that’s both brutally honest and deeply compassionate, this might just be the next book to leave a lasting impression on your heart.

  • Booker Prize (2020)
  • British Book Award for Book of the Year (2021)
  • Orwell Prize Nominee for Political Fiction for Longlist (2021)
  • Magnesia Litera for Translation (Litera za překladovou knihu) (2023)
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for First Fiction (2020)
  • Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction (2021)
  • Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Fiction (2020)
  • Dayton Literary Peace Prize Nominee for Fiction (2021)
  • The Polari Prize Nominee for First Book (2021)
  • National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (2020)
  • Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2020)
  • Saltire Society Literary Award Nominee for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year (2021)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction and for Debut Novel (2020)
  • The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2020)
  • PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Nominee for Shortlist (2021)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.