I reviewed Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart for book recommendation site LoveReading.co.uk. I have chosen the book as a Liz Pick of the Month and also a LoveReading Star Book.

Oh what an utterly compelling, heartbreaking, hopeful, devastating book this is. I didn’t think anything could top Shuggie Bain, but Stuart has done it with Young Mungo.

It’s not an uplifting book but then it isn’t meant to be. Telling the story of Mungo, Protestant and youngest of the three Hamiltons living in the East End of Glasgow; who finds young love with Catholic James.

It all goes horribly wrong of course and he’s sent off fishing with two random men his alcoholic (and wholly disgusting) mother meets at AA. I really felt for the mum in Shuggie Bain, but not Mo-Maw.

It really is a beautifully written book of the hardship of the working class, living up to a ‘hard man’ family reputation created by his big brother, and dealing with the disappointment of an intelligent sister who’s going to leave Young Mungo behind.

I’d recommend this to anyone. Thank you to Netgalley and Pan MacMillan for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Having heard all the wonderful reviews about the previous book Shuggie Bain i was desperate to get my hands on this one.
Unfortunately, it will be another consigned to the did not finish pile. I just couldn't connect to the characters or the storyline. I gave up at about 25%.
Many thanks the the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to see an ARC

This is a deeply moving book, and while it’s a difficult read (from the perspective of violence and sexual violence) it ultimately contains hope. I was routing for Mungo from the start, and found his discovery of love and his sexuality so beautifully done, and the explorations of his relationships with his mother, brother and sister are so authentic and very beautifully written.

This was probably the most heartbreaking, harrowing book I’ve ever read. Almost every chapter I genuinely had my hands on my face in shock or horror. The things that happened to Mungo and the people around him!! Absolutely horrific. It’s likely I’m just too sensitive to truly enjoy a book like this. The writing was beautiful and very visceral. It took me such a long time to read, though. I kept needing breaks to process all the awful things that were happening to Mungo.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Young Mungo is a novel about first love between two Glaswegian boys, a Protestant and a Catholic, as they try and find their place within the world they live. Mungo lives with his sister and, sometimes, his mother, an alcoholic who often disappears. His older brother is his model for masculinity, but Mungo has always been different. When he meets James, a boy who lives nearby and looks after pigeons, it seems he's found someone who understands him, even if James is a Catholic, and as they fall in love, the threat of discovery looms. And then, later on, Mungo is sent on a fishing trip with two strange men by his mother.

I've not yet read Shuggie Bain, but I was drawn to the description of Young Mungo. It is told through two timelines, almost a 'before' and 'after' though not quite, opening with Mungo leaving for the trip with the two men off into the countryside, and then the next chapter moving to the 'start' of the story. The structure worked well, with an awful inevitability to the 'before' part of the narrative and a lingering dread to the 'after'. Mungo's world is vivid, particularly his family, and it is heartbreaking to see the choices he ends up with, as well as his ongoing hope for his alcoholic mother, even as his sister has given up on her.

This is an immersive book exploring love, violence, and masculinity in working class Glasgow, as well as the failings of family. It is brutal at times, both in terms of violence and grim reality, and it isn't a cheery read, but there's still a lot of tenderness in it, as you might expect from a book about first love.

I read Shuggie Bain well over a year ago now and it is up there with one of my favourite books of all time. When I got the email to say I was approved to read Young Mungo, I was ecstatic!

Mungo (Protestant) and James (Catholic) are teenage boys that live in a hyper-masculine world. They are caught between Glasgow’s housing estates that are divided between sectarian lines, where territorial battles are fought. They become best friends and fall in love. The threat of discovery and punishment is constant. When Mungo’s mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in Western Scotland, with two strange men, he needs to summon all his inner strength and courage to get back to a place of safety, a place where he and James might still have a future.


This book absolutely blew me away. I had been obviously excited for it, but I was not prepared for how much I would be emotionally invested in it. The way Stuart weaves the two timelines together is seamless. The characters are brilliantly developed throughout. I said something similar about Shuggie Bain, but I just wanted to protect Mungo and James at all costs, rooting for them the entire way through. The way Stuart writes is utterly stunning. The descriptive, atmospheric writing surrounding ‘90s Glasgow and the way he truly magnifies every emotion the characters felt. He dives into important topics such as the sectarian divide, sexuality, toxic masculinity, alcoholism and working-class identity. He does so with such sensitivity, yet in the same breath it could be incredibly brutal at times.

Young Mungo is heartbreaking, bringing me to tears; tears of many emotions. It definitely has its trigger warnings so I’d suggest doing that research before reading. Honestly though, I loved this book. I’m finding it very hard to do it justice with this review. I could not recommend it more. I know this will be a book everyone will want to have their hands on when it is released.

Massive thank you to Picador Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

Full disclosure- I DNF'ed this at about 20%. It was really not working for me. I couldn't connect to the writing or language at all and couldn't force myself to pay attention or care. It sounded really good but when I began to read it, nothing was working. However objectively I can see the appeal and I genuinely don't think I gave it a long enough shot to give it any less than three stars. It just wasn't worth it to me to continue on when there are other books I could genuinely be enjoying.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Douglas’s first novel of which I really enjoyed, enjoyed maybe not the right word but I couldn’t put it down, I was very interested to see what his second novel had to offer so was delighted when I got a chance to read a ARC digital copy from Pan McMillan via NetGalley in return for fair and honest review.

Much like the first novel it is set in Glasgow, this time it is the early 90’s , the synopsis was interesting a young man coming to terms with the fact he is gay while living in the east end set in a backdrop of gang violence, poverty and alcohol abuse. Going from the front cover I was hoping Young Mungo might be a bit more upbeat Shuggie Bain, the front cover and the synopsis to me screamed stolen kisses, first loves and as it was bright with colours I had hopes at maybe not being as emotionally traumatic as Shuggie Bain…. I was wrong it is every bit as traumatic but very bit as good.

I loved the fact it was set in Dennistoun I recognised so many of the streets and the Italian cafe Jodie worked in I think is based on one that is still there today for me this made the book come alive forI could almost taste the raspberry sauce on the ice cream. I found while Stuart captured Glasgow in the 90’s in terms of it being a city going though many changes, which was a great parody to go a long side the changes Mungo goes though, and a city of two halves not just in terms of football I felt he did not capture the beauty of the city, for Glasgow may be in part grim but it’s a fun city full of laughs, hope and love. He portrays a Glasgow where folk don’t care, are poor, angry and just very dark it is all very no mean city. Much like he did in Shuggie Bain. Glasgow is a very LGBT welcoming city and always has been so I do think it’s a bit unfair to portray as it not being so. However I found they way he showed the divide between the city very clever and well written, the way Jodie describes Glasgow Uni’s postcode being a draw bridge to the likes of her , the story of Ha-Ha selling drugs to Glasgow Uni freshers is both very smart and very funny I’d be interested to hear the bold Ha-Ha’s view is on Dennistoun being the new west end after that.

I found even the unlikable characters very well developed, complex and they come alive off the page. Even the minor characters had a backstory which while you might not like what they did you could understand why they did what they did. I really liked poor-wee chickie as a character I found his story to be deeply moving and a great example of what hate, ignorance and fear can do. There is no doubt Stuart can write people he makes the most minor characters interesting, gives them a meaning full voice complex and real he manages to capture someone in a few sentences which proves what a great writer he is as this something I find lacking in a lot books . Maybe cause I live in Glasgow I know a lot of real people like a lot of the characters, the portrayal of the head teacher, the gangs and even the kid on Glasgowegians were true to form. My only criticism is that some of the characters were perhaps a little too like some of the characters in Shuggie Bain but there was enough nuance for no direct comparison.

I liked the structure of the novel the way it carried back and forth from the start it created tension and made me want to keeping reading long into the night. I liked how at the times the book shifted into the other characters points of view/story at times for me this added to the character development and also was welcome change from Mungo. All of the book is written in the third person.

The main story is a first Young love story between two young men who face their own demons about being gay as well the wider society they live in. I found their story touching, moving and beautiful it was at times awkward and clumsy just the way all first love is be it a straight or LGBT one. Although parts of this story was dark and got very dark there were parts that made smile, the birthday bike ride for example. I liked how as the story went on Mungo began to change and how his outlook on his life matured. Some of the backstories were dark but deeply comical which also was the case in the authors previous work this did break up some the more darker points in the book and were much needed. The secondary story that runs along aside the love story is about a fishing trip which I found was far too much, I understand why it is included as it really shows the development of Mungo and without doubt sends a powerful message but I feel the change in Mungo and his revelations about his life could have been stated in a less brutal way that being said I was so glad Mungo got his revenge. As with Shuggie Bain Stuart deals with hard issues that we still face today this can make for uncomfortable reading. I just hope the ending is how I interrupted it, Mungo and James starting a new life together where they are happy. As was the case with Shuggie Bain this book is bound to start conversation and I do sense another prize winner here.

The language used in the book for me is a pure treat I was giggling to myself at the somewhat colourful Glasgow sayings and language, my favourite being Ha-Ha’s term for a certain fortified wine “commotion potion”. And nothing showed the class divide in the city such as Jodie saying “ I saw him peel a kiwi fruit in the staff room the other week so up your arse with with his voice of the working class nonsense” Some readers won’t find this language easy to read or like it but for me you are reading a book set in Glasgow so expect scots and “tattie bogals”

There is no denying this book is set to be classic which I suspect will be studied and enjoyed by many higher English pupil as well as their maws and das for years to come. Stuart is a smart truly talent writer while parts of both books are just a little to dark for me I enjoyed both very much. I cried, laughed, cried again and everything in between just like a Glasgow Kiss it hits you full on and will leave you a bit tender for a wee while after.

The first half was a slow start, and I couldn’t help comparing it to Shuggie Bain. However, from the halfway mark things really picked up. So harrowing, so violent, so sad. Stuart did a great job developing all the characters, rather than just the mum. I was rooting for Mungo and James, their friendship and relationship is incredibly beautiful.

I've made no secret of my love for Douglas Stuart's Booker Prize winning Shuggie Bain. I've have been banging on about it for well over a year now and intend to continue doing so, so buckle up! Taking that into consideration, you might understand my apprehension when it came to reading his second novel but I'm pleased to tell you that I needn't have worried; to put it simply, he's done it again.

(That's not to say that Young Mungo is Shuggie 2.0. There are similar themes, granted, many of which require a content warning but I'll get to them later.)

It is the early 90s and Mungo Hamilton is a sensitive and artistic fifteen year old. He lives in near poverty, in a Glasgow tenement with his older siblings, the well liked and studious Jodie, and psychopathic Hamish (Ha Ha). His mother Maureen (or Mo-Maw, as she's known and woe betide the child that calls her Mammy, especially in company) is an alcoholic and often goes missing for weeks at a time. Mungo loves her dearly and is fiercely loyal, while his brother Hamish and his sister Jodie are utterly jaded by her appalling behaviour.

It's set against a backdrop of sectarian violence, with Hamish leading the local Billy Boys in fights against the catholics. Tensions heighten when Mungo befriends a local Catholic boy, James, who has big dreams and a passion for pigeon breeding. The book opens with Mungo setting off on a fishing expedition, organised by Mo-Maw with two sinister men, who promise Mungo that they'll, "make a man out of you yet, eh?” The story moves between the fishing trip of the present and the months leading up to it.

I adored this book. Stuart writes about the bleakest of subjects but never descends into melodrama. He writes the dialogue in the vernacular and I loved having to look up every new word and phrase. The book is at times violent and horrific but is also tender and beautiful. The depictions if fledgling queer love are particular exquisite. I'll be thinking of Mungo and James for a long time to come.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Many thanks to the author, the publisher @panmacmillan @groveatlantic and @picadorbooks and @netgalley for the advanced digital copy.

(CW: Alcohol abuse, sectarian and domestic violence, child sexual abuse and rape)

Young Mungo tells us Mungo's story, focusing on his life as a 15 year old, in the early 90s, in the East End of Glasgow. Mungo faces a lot of challenges with little support, like so many others who live around him.

Douglas Stuart explores the characters with tenderness and compassion, asking us not to judge too quickly as we get to know characters who are often stereotyped from Glasgow. People who can often be portrayed in reality based tv or media as 2D characters; a homogenous bunch with no hope of a positive future or a happy now. I am always grateful when people from this type of background that I grew up in are developed thoroughly, with layers, showing both the kindness and the cruelty, the way Stuart does here.

The story is compelling told in 2 timelines, 5 months apart. As a reader I was immersed in both, desperate to know what happens next.

However it is the characters who are written with such care who stole the show for me. I loved and hated, but the feelings I had were not black and white, often complicated at times.

The wider topics of queerness, politics, poverty, sectarianism, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse are all dealt with as Stuart shares Mungo's story. They don't feel like add ons, they are intrinsic to Mungo's existence, encouraging me to become even more absorbed in the injustices all around him.

I adored reading Young Mungo and thought the writing was captivating from beginning to end. I can't wait to add a copy to my shelves when it arrives in April. I know I'll want to go back sometime soon.

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
I give this book 4.5 stars

Protestant Mungo and Catholic James live in a hyper-masculine world. They are caught between two of Glasgow’s housing estates where young working-class men divide themselves along sectarian lines, and fight territorial battles for the sake of reputation. They should be sworn enemies and yet they become best friends. As they begin to fall in love, they dream of escaping the grey city,
When Mungo’s mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in Western Scotland, with two strange men,he needs to summon all his inner strength and courage to get back to a place where he and James might still have a future.

I’ve had to take a couple of days before l could write my review for this book.
Such a heartbreaking and harrowing read.The authors writing style is descriptive and raw and explores the hard hitting harshness of 80’s Glasgow,prejudice and the darker side of family life.A journey of self discovery and first love written from a young boys viewpoint. This story will stay with me for a very long time.
With thanks to Netgalley,Douglas Stuart and Pan Macmillan, Picador for my chance to read this book.

Douglas Stuart broke my heart with this book. A tender, breathtaking, and gorgeously written book, I have no doubt that readers will fall in love with “Yung Mungo.”

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I preferred this book to “Shuggie Bain.” Both books have a lot of similarities, and I will say that when I began reading this I thought that it was almost going to be an exact replica of his previous book. We have the same family dynamic of an alcoholic mother with three children. Mungo is the youngest child devoted to his mother, and I did question at the beginning if this was almost imagining a slightly older Shuggie. I have read some reviews that have been disappointed that this revisits a lot of the same themes or material from his previous book, but I think that the focus is different here.

Mungo is a fifteen year old boy who doesn’t fit in. He struggles at school, has a facial tick, and is abandoned for long periods of time by his mother. We see throughout the book how many characters tell him to “man-up” and see this toxic masculinity fester within him. From his brother demanding him to take part in gang fights, to his sister waiting for him to grow up and take charge, Mungo is torn between what others want from him and his own nature. Then he meets Jamie who demands nothing from him, and both boys can each be themselves in each other’s company. This leads to a lovingly told relationship between the boys.

This book is told in two halves, one told from the point of view of the months leading up to Mungo’s relationship with James and the relationship itself, and the other being the aftermath of the relationship where Mungo is sent off on a fishing trip to learn to become a man. We switch between both narratives throughout the book, until our timeline comes to an end in the last chapter which is painfully beautiful and devastating. This book is one that will stay with me, and I will reread for it’s beauty and tragedy.

Douglas Stuart’s debut novel took the literary world by storm, introducing us to a young boy trying to navigate a world that wants him to be anything other than his true self. Now his second novel Young Mungo brings us another tale of love, heartbreak and the pressures of masculinity. Young Mungo is very similar in content to Shuggie Bain, discussing class struggles growing up in Glasgow, something that has been criticised but I didn’t see this as a negative at all and loved Young Mungo just as much as Shuggie Bain. Stuart’s rich prose has this way of drawing me in and I didn’t want to put the book down and his believable and fleshed out characters, make the reader really feel for them, become invested in their futures, and want what is best for them.

Stuart has a real talent for creating protagonists that are so full of love for the people around them that they are willing to do anything to make them happy or try and gain some of that same adoration back. The mother and son dynamic in Young Mungo is one of unrequited love. Mungo wills his mother to love him and want to stay home and be with him, but her desire is to please a man she has fallen for. Also, implications of her alcohol addiction on her children does not seem to be a concern for her, as she avoids the wishes of her children to return home, sober up and rebuild the family unit. The only time she seems to show a glimpse of desire to help Mungo is when she sends him on a fishing trip to help him become a young man who society does not reject. However, this trip also highlights that she has no intention of accepting her son’s sexuality and ultimately she has sent him into the middle of nowhere, with two men she does not know and has allowed him to be taken advantage of, which makes the reader question, did she just want to get him out of the way?

Growing up in a society that is hugely masculine and heterosexual, Mungo is constantly told there is something wrong with him if he doesn’t conform. Throughout, we are presented with the constant wearing down of Mungo and his character, but we are treated to sporadic vignettes of tenderness between him and James. The contrast in who Mungo is expected to be and who he really is is poignant throughout, the sweet moments in which Mungo is somewhat free gives the reader hope that Mungo might actually be happy one day. However, the reader is dragged back to reality when Mungo is coerced into taking a trip with two men who he does not know, in order to make him “normal”. What ensues on this trip is cruel and heartbreaking, the weight of which Mungo will carry with him forever. I thought the contrast in these images was a great narrative choice as it made the small happy moments feel all the more special and important. I will say that the abuse of our protagonist is a lot less subtle and stark than in Shuggie Bain. It feels like Stuart really wanted to force the reader to think about the realities of life for boys such as Mungo, in a society that was so repulsed by them, but happy to take advantage at the first given opportunity. The ending of Young Mungo is somewhat ambiguous, the reader has to make up their own mind and decide whether Mungo will get his “happy ending”. But the question stands, how can he ever have a happy ending in a world that is against everything he is?

Overall I think this is a brilliant follow up to Shuggie Bain and think people are going to become enraptured with Mungo’s story. Stuart’s rich imagery brings the reader right into every scene, making them wish they could reach into the narrative and intervene. I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read this but absolutely implore you to check all content warnings before diving in because as mentioned before, this book is a lot more stark that Stuart’s debut.

Yesterday I finished ‘Young Mungo’ by .@Doug_D_Stuart and I must say Is one of the best books I read this year so far. I couldn’t stop turning pages. It’s heart-breaking, beautiful and horrible at the same time. It’s a story of self-discovery; of growing up and learning how to put yourself first -for a change; of love and violence; of toxic masculinity and the nonsense of religion conflict. I spent all the story rooting for Mungo, I needed to talk to him and take him somewhere safe. This book left me broken and I cannot wait to read it again. #BookTwitter #YoungMungo #NetGalley 📖✨

Such a heartfelt read.
I love Mungo and James, you root for them all the time.
I almost forget we live in a world where at onetime loving someone of the same sex was wrong.
This book really unleashed some angry emotions but so wanted to finish the book because you want their love to win.
Written so well with emotion, love while against real issues in society.

Young Mungo By Douglas Stuart

The second book by this talented author and after the outrageous success of "Shuggie", it was always going to be difficult to recreate that and I am happy to say Stuart has.

We follow Mungo, a 15-year-old boy growing up in Glasgow in the early 90s. This is a story of love, loss and violence.

This is a beautifully written book and Stuart captures the time and events that surround our story of poverty and feeling of hopelessness in a country that has just had its heart ripped out by the then Conservative government and, amongst all the chaos, delivers a truly fantastic love story.

This book is dark and gritty and deals with some really appalling themes, but just with "Shuggie" he manages to shine a light on the human spirit and, against all the odds, how love and hope can find a way through all the noise that surrounds it.

This is an outstanding book and, all though it is similar to what Stuart has written before, it more than holds it's own and delivers on so many levels.

Outstanding well worth your time and hard-earned cash is a truly remarkable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan/Picador for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book.

I was pretty much speechless upon finishing this. I can’t say I enjoyed it because of how gritty, emotional and raw it was. However, I was fully captivated and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, in fact I still can’t.
The writing is just next level. Easy to read but gloriously descriptive and sophisticated. The passages describing Mungo and James and their bond are just flawless.
This is going to stay with me for a long time and made me feel a lot of things.

Thank you for the opportunity to read a proof copy of this book.
The language, as before, can be lyrical and achingly emotive of a specific time and place. However, I failed to ‘click’ with this book in the same way as I did with Shuggie Bain. The elements of the previous novel that slightly rankled are magnified to an irritating extent in this one - the contemptuous descriptions of women, the piling on of misery. It’s like reading through someone’s therapy and not pleasant or edifying.