Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for May 2023
The extraordinary,powerful second novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain,Young Mungo is both a vivid portrayal of working-class life and the deeply moving story of the dangerous first love of two young men: Mungo and James.Born under different 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 if they're to be seen as men at all,and yet they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the doocot that James has built for his prize racing pigeons. As they begin to fall in love,they dream of escaping the grey city,and Mungo must work hard to hide his true self from all those around him,especially from his elder brother Hamish,a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold.But the threat of discovery is constant and the punishment unspeakable. When Mungo's mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in western Scotland with two strange men behind whose drunken banter lie murky pasts,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.Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism,Douglas Stuart's Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the meaning of masculinity,the push and pull of family,the violence faced by so many queer people,and the dangers of loving someone too much.
Publisher: Pan MacmillanISBN: 9781529068788Number of pages: 400Weight: 286 gDimensions: 197 x 130 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Prepare your hearts,for Douglas Stuart is back. After the extraordinary success of Shuggie Bain,his second novel,Young Mungo,is another beautiful and moving book,a gay Romeo and Juliet set in the brutal world of Glasgow's housing estates.'- Observer
'I wasn't sure Young Mungo could live up to Shuggie Bain,but it surpasses it. Deeply harrowing but gently infused with hope & love. And so exquisitely written. It's a joy to watch,in real time,as Douglas Stuart takes his place as one of the greats of Scottish literature.'- Nicola Sturgeon
'Few novels are as gutsy and gut-wrenching as Young Mungo in its depiction of a teenage boy who finds love amid family dysfunction,community conflict and the truly terrible predations of adults. Vividly realised and emotionally intense,this scorching novel is an urgent addition to the new canon of unsung stories.'- Bernardine Evaristo
'Some novels can be admired,others enjoyed. But it is a rare thing to find a story so engrossing,bittersweet and beautiful that you do not so much read it,as experience it. It is this quality Young Mungo possesses - an intense,lovely,brutal thing. Stuart is a masterful storyteller.'- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Douglas Stuart
Douglas Stuart is a Scottish-American author best known for the Booker prize-winning novel Shuggie Bain.
Visit the Douglas Stuart author page
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