'Shuggie Bain' by Doublas Stuart
‘Shuggie Bain’ by Douglas Stuart is a debut novel, rejected by publishers 32 times. When it was finally published it won the Booker prize and high acclaim.
I bought the book, but couldn’t quite face reading it – it seemed grim. The first sentence is ‘The day was flat.’
I put it aside, until I listened to Douglas Stuart talking to Kim Hill. Great interview, and I was intrigued.
The story is grim. Poverty. Alcoholism. Growing up with without hope. The opening scene is gritty. Revealing the reality of life behind the scenes of a deli counter. It might stop you from buying rotisserie chicken again, yet the way it’s written I kept on reading.
The writing is stunning. The story grim, it seems utterly depressing. And yet, it isn’t. In all the despair there’s something that keeps me reading, engaged with the characters, caring about the characters. I’ll read it again!
Highly recommended.
Douglas Stuart talks to Kim Hill on Radio NZ
Douglas Stuart on writing Shuggie Bain, the Irish Times