Shuggie Bain

In 1980s Glasgow under Thatcher's government, a young boy watches helplessly as his mother spirals deeper into alcoholism, determined yet unable to pull her back from the brink. Douglas Stuart's debut novel captures the raw heartbreak of a child caught between love and the brutal limits of what devotion can accomplish. Set against the grey industrial backdrop of working-class Scotland, this profoundly moving story explores the weight of family bonds tested by addiction and pride.