Douglas Stuart’s debut novel, ‘Shuggie Bain’, which won the Booker Prize 2020 last night, is the epitome of an oxymoron. It is tender at heart yet ferocious in essence as it describes the complex relationship of a young boy (Shuggie Bain) and his mother (Agnes Bain), who is an alcoholic.
With its many intricate details, the novel paints a graphic and authentic picture of the impoverished Glasgow neighborhood of the 1980s, and the deep disappointment and resentment Agnes feels at not being able to escape it. Agnes drowns the feeling of being “trapped” in her second marriage and motherhood in glasses of whiskey and mugs of lager, and as her two older children find their own coping mechanisms to deal with her addiction, Shuggie, her youngest is tied up to her. through the motherband to the end and therefore bears witness to most of her lows in life. However, he loves his charismatic but volatile mother so much that he doesn’t make a sound as Agnes deliberately burns her room down with the cigarette flame, while she and Shuggie are still in it.
Stuart’s command of language is apparent in the way he constructs everyday scenes. As the novel progresses, we see Shuggie become a teenager and the main caretaker of the listless Agnes, who delves deeper into her addiction. In one of the passages Stuart describes, she describes the changing dynamics of the mother-son duo: “One morning she (Agnes) woke up startled and found Shuggie staring at her. He would be dressed, in the not fall by the bag that slung over both shoulders, his face washed and his wet hair parted and brushed only in the front, she would lie there, fully clothed, trying to draw her dry lips over her teeth, saying, ” Good morning,” and then turn around and go to school… He wouldn’t have wanted to leave without letting her know he’d be right back. He took her little finger in his and swore.”
Unfortunately for all the love Shuggie pours out on Agnes, her addiction drags on for nearly a decade as she slowly progresses to her death in the novel. That’s why the scene is where Shuggie says goodbye to his mom – and “pulls fresh paint over her lips, making sure to push the color into the corners” so it stays neatly inside the lines – and kisses her for “one last time.” ,’ is especially poignant.
What sticks with this novel, however, is not only the gripping moments, but also the atmospheric setting. As Stuart noted during his acceptance speech for the Booker Prize, Shuggie Bain is the second book from Scotland to receive the prestigious literary award in the last 50 years. Glasgow, alive with details of everyday life.
The novel is deeply rooted and often disturbing in portraying a world where violence against women and rape are commonplace, as Agnes’ addiction makes her easy prey for men. It also discusses how Shuggie is adjusting to his homosexuality in a place filled with working-class men, who believe that masculinity manifests itself in a display of vain masculinity. There are also many moments in the book, which are dark and raw, but the story is essentially hopeful.
The delicacy and craftsmanship with which Stuart brings each of his characters to life are utterly admirable – their brokenness is apparent from the start, their fragility floating on the surface, their habits foreshadowing their tragic journeys. Yet they are never devoid of humanity and love. Perhaps that’s why these characters are memorable, and Stuart’s book has been touted by Booker’s judges as a potential “classic.” Booker jury panel chair Margaret Busby recently said Shuggie Bain is a novel that is intimate, poignant and daring. “To some extent, I think anyone who reads it will never feel the same again,” she had added.
Stuart’s novel is one of four debut novels to be shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize, and shares the same thread of child-parent relationship, echoes of which we find in other Booker shortlisted nominations, such as Avni Doshi’s “Burnt Sugar” and Diane Cook’s book, “The New Wilderness”. In the capable hands of Stuart, however, we not only move through a compelling storyline, but also witness the universal feeling of learning about your parents’ shortcomings and coming to terms with them. Maybe that’s why it resonated more with the judges, because it takes you back to the universal feelings of empathy and love.
For Stuart, who had worked in the fashion industry for nearly 20 years, this book, which is largely autobiographical in nature – as it demands a lot from his struggle with his mother’s addiction – was a means of coming to terms with his own childhood trauma. . But success has not come easy. Nearly 30 publishers rejected Shuggie Bain before it was finally picked up for publication. In fact, Stuart wrote it over a ten-year span, while keeping his full-time job in the fashion industry, working for the likes of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, and Jack Spade.
Winning the 2020 Booker Prize, Douglas Stuart said with tears in his eyes in his acceptance speech: “I am absolutely stunned. I was not expecting this at all. First of all I would like to thank my mother… my mother is on every page of this book, and without her I wouldn’t be here, and my job wouldn’t be here. I want to thank my fellow finalists. It was a pleasure and an honor to be in your company. Can’t wait to give you all a hug Thank you to the Booker jury for recognizing Shuggie Bain I know this is only the second Scottish book to win in 50 years and that means a lot for regional voices and working class stories… Thanks to the people of Scotland, especially in the Glass region, whose empathy, humanity, love, and struggle are in every word of this book.”
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