I wasn't a huge fan of Shuggie Bain so went into Young Mungo with huge trepidation. I honestly feel that YM was the book Stuart was trying to write in SB. It absolutely blew me away with it's haunting prose and gut wrenching story. Absolute perfection.

Full review to come.

I haven’t read Shuggie Bain yet, although it is on my list, however I have heard great things about it and if it’s anything like as moving and powerful as Young Mungo then I’m missing out. Young Mungo is about so many things, like masculinity, sexuality, coming of age, family, violence, hardship and love. Stuart is a phenomenally good writer, somehow able to convey visceral brutality and delicate tenderness all in one breath. Mungo is a brilliantly crafted character whose life I was completely engaged with and the setting of working class Glasgow in the 90s feels unbearably authentic and unflinching in its stark viciousness. The futility of the conflict and shocking violence that seems to overwhelm so many of the characters is heartbreakingly genuine. Yet there is also a sensitivity and sense of heart that seeps from the pages and keeps the bleakness at bay, even if just for a little while. Young Mungo beautifully demonstrates how much damage can be wrought by hate and how much joy can be found in the simplicity of genuine love. Highly recommended.

Young Mungo is a beautifully written story of a teenage boy in 1980s Glasgow, too sweet for the brutal reality around him, and gay in a time when it homosexuality was viewed with hatred. He befriends and then falls in love with a Catholic boy named James, in a Romeo-and-Juliet dynamic, although they both know it cannot end happily.

I actually enjoyed the writing so much - Douglas Stuart has the singular talent of bringing to the page deeply sweet, innocent characters and also dark, broken characters, and make us fall in love with both of them. Even when the characters do something cruel, still we feel that we understand their motives, even if we hate them for it.

This is a very, very brutal story, incredibly violent. I don't recommend it to more sensitive readers (like myself), for whom this book will feel like a miserable experience, despite its magnificent writing. I was also a little bit bored by the fact that Young Mungo reminded me so much of Shuggie Bain - this sweet, young gay boy, the youngest of three, to whom life in 1980s Glasgow dealt very harsh cards and a brutal life. I just felt like I'd read it before, even if Young Mungo was actually heading in different directions in terms of character development.

I would really, really like to see Douglas Stuart do something different for his next novel. He is incredibly talented and I look forward to reading more from him!

It has taken me a while to actually review this book because I had to let it sit with me for a bit.

I received my Netgalley copy at the end of 2021 but I didn't quite feel ready to read it straight away.
I then pre-ordered a physical copy and got it in April 2022 - it is definitely one of my favourite books of 2022!

It is written so beautifully, even when dealing with issues and events that are far from beautiful. The way Douglas Stuart captures the very essence of Glasgow was evident in Shuggie Bain, and here he returns to capture not only the essence of Glasgow and Glaswegians, but the wider Scottish landscape, culture and people.

Told over two timelines (but a mere few months apart), the book puts the characters at the forefront of the plot. We go on a real journey with Mungo and so much of his story is pivotal to the interpersonal relations in his life. The story would not be as good if Douglas was not so accomplished at crafting characters who jump off the page. They are real, authentic, flawed and, in many cases, so very loveable. I connected on so many levels and I adored this book.

I am absolutely heart broken after reading it. It's a wonderfully written book. Each character is so vivid you'd swear you have met them. Unfortunately that also mean that it's a difficult book to read - all the violence feels personal and leaves you shattered.
I didnt think the author could write anything better than Shuggie Bain - which I loved, but I was wrong!

Douglas Stuart proves that his talent is not a one-time thing with Young Mungo! Perfect for people who like A Little Life but would like something a bit more hopeful with a dash of murder mystery!

I'm sorry I'm sorry but I have to give this a 2 star. If I was generous I'd give a 3 star, but I can't in good conscience pretend it's a 3 star for me. This is primarily because I didn't like the experience of reading this book at all - it made me feel awful in fact.

Douglas Stuart won the Booker Prize for his debut Shuggie Bain. It sounded a bit miserable to me, with difficult themes, so I decided to stay away. With Young Mungo, I thought we would get more of a beautiful love story, but yet again it's mostly the heartache and horrible moments that stay at the forefront of this narrative.

Maybe I would have loved this book if there was only one of the 2 storylines included in this book. This is a bit of spoiler, but I think it deserves an extreme trigger warning, for multiple sexual assaults in this book. That storyline made me want to DNF the book. I didn't think it particularly helped the book move forward either. It was just traumatic and miserable.

What I thought was good about this book was the portrayal of Glasgow, the use of Scots language, as well as some nice bits of connections between the two boys in love, despite their Protestant/Catholic divergence. That said, the book seems to want to dwell into the misery and I'm not a fan of that kind of narrative.

It was loved by many, so I only share my opinion for those who might want to steer clear of miserable narratives and assault trigger warnings.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦 Young Mungo - @douglas_stuart
I tell everyone who'll listen that they MUST read Shuggie Bain..Probably my most favourite book of recent years, so I knew I'd no doubt love this second offering from Douglas , yet I was tentative to start the book as I didn't think my heart would have space for another boy with such a gentle and kind soul - But it turns out there was plenty of room , and Mungo ( & James ) have cooried in nicely.
Set over a period of 5 months around Glasgow's East End ( with a wee nod to Bishopbriggs & Kirkintilloch - although not in a good way - F&!# U Mr Gillespie 👊🏼) we meet Mungo initially as he is shooed off by his mother, Mo-Maw, with a pair of jakey beasts to what's meant to be a "fishing" trip. Needless to say the events that take place are traumatic, harrowing and very upsetting.
The story is split in 2 timelines as we return to the preceeding months and the build- up to this weekend.
It's during these pages that our Protestant Mungo meets Catholic James. Amongst the wastelands of the East End where James has a "Doocot" for his pigeons. The doocot becomes a sanctuary for the boys as they begin to form a friendship that breaks the religious barriers that surround them and as they cross the line from friendship to understanding , desire and love they realise their connection is now even more dangerous as Mungo's older brother Hamish - the Proddy Boys gang leader would sooner kill them than accept them.
This book, like Shuggie will have you ranting with frustration at the intolerance of the people and the times , the negligence of those supposed to be care givers and the heartbreak of the hand our beautiful Mungo has been dealt in life..and Douglas once again shows the deep, deep love this boy has for his mother, even when she casts him and his siblings aside so easily..Again, like Shuggie, Mungo blames himself for all the wrongs around him.
I know I've just compared both books throughout but it's impossible not to. However it is more pacey with more urgency to the story.
Trauma, Child Sexual Abuse , Baby Loss, Alcoholism, Gang Violence, Homophobia. But ultimately, Hope. Hope for a world of acceptance & Love 🌈💚💙

Words can't express how I feel about this book, it's a hard, bleek and upsetting book but boy does it delivers.
Love is hard for everyone but it's harder for Mungo.

All I can say is please read it

This was a DNF for me. I tried it as the ebook, I tried as an audio, and I really struggled to get into it. I checked out some reviews and based on spoilers about what will occur in this book, it's not one for me. I do feel the summary is a bit misleading.

Leaving a 3* rating to show my DNF

I wish so much that I could have loved it, but alas, the relentless misery was just too much for me. I had the same problem with Stuart's other work, so this is perhaps simply an issue of my own personal taste. He's a fantastic writer and his characters come alive in ways that are almost alarming, but I couldn't find myself enjoying it.

I loved this book. It's not quite as good as Stuart's first novel, but it has all the same heart, depth and wit. I loved the characters and have thought about them constantly since finishing it.

Mungo will stay with me for a long time. This book could be intense, violent and touching all at the same time. I would highly recommend this book, it was the book of the year for me.

For me, this was a DNF unfortunately. I thought the writing style was brilliant, and I can't fault the author at all. It just wasn't for me unfortunately.

I hadn't read a Douglas Stuart novel before Young Mungo, but I will be picking up Shuggie Bain as soon as possible. Despite Young Mungo's bleakness I deeply enjoyed Stuart's writing and narrative style and fell in love with the rocky beauty in the story he has to tell.

Young Mungo is set in the same setting as Shuggie Bain - a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic absentee mom, a caring sister and a violent brother in Glasgow. There are passages in the book that almost seem like I am rereading that book. Given I hated that book - this book is more a redemption due to the narrative hold the author manages this time round.

We see Mungo being packed off with two men on a fishing trip by his mother to make "a man" out of him. We get to know these two men as members who attend AA meetings and with a shady past. The book then through flashbacks and episodes sets the tone of what led to this with some scary chapters in-between. The book explores "Being a man" through the various male characters in the book - like Ha-ha the violent elder brother who will hit first than reason and Jacky the man who is sleeping with his mother trying to decide what is good for her.

The book should come with a trigger warning for rape and pedophilia that made you angry reading the book and in-retrospect made the violence more welcome. The book is raw like an open wound shouldering the boy's anxieties as he finds salvation in being gay. The parts with his love for James in the backdrop of a protestants vs Catholics violence are well portrayed with the confusion and stigma being handled by teenagers.

The mother with her neglect and alcoholism is hard to sympathize with and Jodie - his sister, is hard not to like. And yet, there is a sense of suffering and your heart goes out to Mungo who is trying to be there for his ma and the people in his lives. When he tells Jodie "I can't help it" on asking if he was gay - you become protective of the boy.

Douglas Stuart also manages to slip in paragraphs of horror in the most unlikely of passages that catches you off-guard. You see the writing has matured and the storytelling more engaging than the earlier one. Maybe this was the second draft of Shuggie Bain - but then who ever said you can't have the same settings and similar characters.

Heart breaking and yet fulfilling.

I have great admiration for Douglas Stuart as a writer and human being - his work is so full of insight and compassion. There was a lot that moved me about this novel but not to the same extent as Shuggie Bain. This may be because overall I felt the territory and themes were a bit too similar. I found the scenes of sexual violence in one of the threads really traumatising.

Okay. So. Young Mungo. I tried. I really tried. It was jus far too bleak.

I persevered with Shuggie Bain and was left feeling empty by it but I wasn't going to give up on Douglas Stuart just yet.

Sadly, Young Mungo was there breaking point. I really tried to get through it but I just couldn't.

I'm sorry.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart is available now.

For more information regarding Douglas Stuart (@Doug_D_Stuart) please visit www.douglasdstuart.com.

For more information regarding Pan Macmillan (@panmacmillan) and Picador Books (@picadorbooks) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

This book has my whole heart. Even better than Shuggie! Cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Mungo is a 15 year old boy living in a deprived, predominantly Protestant area of Glasgow. His mother is an alcoholic who disappears for days or weeks on end, leaving Mungo in the care of his (slightly) older sister. His older brother Ha Ha is already a father and leads a Protestant gang.

Mungo, unlike the majority of his peers, is a gentle and loving soul and knows he is different. He loves his mother dearly despite her neglect and her wish for him to become a real man, echoed by his violent and macho brother.

The narrative centres both on a trip to Loch Lomond and on the events leading up to that trip. Mungo meets James in the latter strand and the relationship between the two is gradual and beautifully and tenderly portrayed. Loch Lomond is a different story, the beauty of nature contrasted with the ugliness of human behaviour.

In both narratives, the threat and actuality of violence is never far away. Toxic masculinity is dominant and bigotry and sectarianism are a way of life in the poorest communities. Young men like Mungo and James are coerced into behaving in an acceptably masculine way, even by those closest to them. In the end, Mungo must decide what kind of person he will be.

Jodie is both attentive to Mungo and resentful of the mothering role she has to play. Despite her maturity, she is also a victim of sexual exploitation. Her love for Mungo is complicated. She loves his special qualities but fears for his future and even she pressures him to conform to what is considered ‘normal’.

There are many similarities to Shuggie Bain, particularly in the family dynamic but this novel has wider ambitions and packs more of a punch (often literally). There are episodes of heart rending tenderness and of heartbreaking violence. There is a sense of dread for the reader reflective of the despair Mungo lives every day.

How does an author follow a Booker winner? In this instance, with a beautifully written and powerful story. A must read.