It's true when they say that this book is absolutely heartbreaking... I was in need of a really sad story (to feel a lil something you know) so I decided to read this THEN AND THERE.
Surrounded by poverty and abuse, "Shuggie Bain" illustrates Shuggie's devastating upbringing from five through adolescence, while living in Glasgow. The story felt incredibly non-fictitious as the characters were well-developed and their circumstances felt real for a story happening in the 1980s-early 1990s. Stuart added complexity to the family dynamics by also writing about Shuggie's relationship with other members of the family. These interactions however, did not overshadow the book's main focus, which was about him and Agnes.
Ultimately, we see Shuggie being punished over and over again for the one fault he held, which was loving his mother too much.
