Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart

 

Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
That they'd talk about around town
As they put you down

And as hard as they would try
They'd hurt to make you cry
But you never cried to them
Just to your soul
No, you never cried to them
Just to your soul
                   (lyrics from "Smalltown boy" - Bronski Beat) (see 1)

            As I was progressing on this book, and the hints of  undeniable differences in Shuggie, to which he himself  was becoming aware of, I couldn't help remembering this song. Two of the members of Bronski Beat were from Glasgow, the song's main theme matches , and time of release matches closely with the initial period of focus in the book.  The subtlety with which he became aware of himself, how Leek his brother realised it a little earlier, but in his own way was willing to give him space and acceptance was a beautiful presentation of sibling love.

But this is hardly the main theme of this book. Other themes push Shuggie's coming of age and sexuality to the background.

Agnes' addiction,  and how she lived to feed it, as wel  makes a harrowing read. It brought to mind how Layne Staley wasted away his last year, a victim to his addiction, although Agnes' demons were lager and vodka. Towards the end of the book, Shuggie's friend Leanne's 'alky' mum drops a hint on how things are:

"Ah think the more ye love someone the more they take the piss out of that. They will do less and less of what ye want and more and more of just as they fuckin' please."

The author has gone on record to say that his novel is primarily a love story, and the distressing detail of addiction, abuse, the consequences of the politics of the time, are all secondary. Shuggie's barely requited love for his mother, his undying hope that "she'll get better" was deeply touching. This, while he sees his mother being made use of, molested, and in a daily decline, everyday in his own home.

The politics -  that there's no love lost towards Margaret Thacher is clear to see. This made me look up a little on the times, and how Scotland suffered due to certain decisions of hers. The decline of coal mining in the UK was a brought about by a combination of cheap oil imports, the decline of heavy industry, changing technology in electricity generation, and the loss of many of coal’s traditional markets. It has become a burden to maintain the industry to the state coffers, but obviously those who made a living from those industries didn't see it that way.

"He heard them say that Thatcher didn’t want honest workers anymore; her future was technology and nuclear power and private health. Industrial days were over and the bones of the Clyde Shipworks and the Springburn Railways lay about the city like rotted dinosaurs."

However, unlike from where I come from, where our politicians make decisions with an eye on the next election, and how they can line their pockets (bringing the nation to bankruptcy), UK has historically made decisions based on policies and the future in mind - however unpopular the decisions maybe  temporarily. In that context, the mine industry was already on its way out, and Thatcher just hurried the inevitable, so that the state coffers are less affected. The 70s and the 80s were a bad time for the UK overall, and Maggie had her work cut out.  Roger Waters captured these bleak times in Pink Floyd's song from 1983, The post war dream.

"If it wasn't for the Nips
Being so good at building ships
The yards would still be open on the Clyde
And that can't be much fun for them
Beneath the rising sun
With all their kids committing suicide
What have we done, Maggie, what have we done?
What have we done to England?
                               ( from "The Post War Dream" - Pink Floyd) (see 2)

Finally, I make reference to  several reviews of the book, which mentioned how Stuart has been discouraged from studying Literature, "given his background", by at least one teacher, and that compelled him to do his studies in the textiles trade. This reminded me of Mark Knopfler and his tribute to "Beryl" (see 3) ( on Beryl Brainbridge, the Booker bridesmaid ), the  writer from a working class background, who was nominated for the Booker  award no less than five times, but had to wait for her death to get honoured. I've caught a video clip of  Knopfler saying  that England was more favoured towards Ox-Bridge literati (although things were changing ), and Beryl possibly was a victim of this ( The video has since been taken off on copyright grounds.)  Stuart is on record saying:

“I come from a long and proud tradition of slaters and joiners and tradespeople. I didn’t grow up around books, none of us did, but it didn’t make us any less caring, any less empathetic. At 17 I had the peace to be able to focus on books and then I devoured them, but English literature and academia was not seen as something open to people like me."
 

These sentiments confirm that whatever reasons Thatcher may have had for her decisions, that a long standing tradition of industry, of which a people were proud of, was denied them, and it is possibly not only economic reasons for them to feel hard done by.

In summary, it is a book which leaves deep etch on one's memory, of sadness for the suffering a child had to endure, sadness for his longing of what he didn't have ( recall how he played"house" alone in the pits, and the dinner table scenario in big Shug's new family), and for the hope he kept alive with a large price on himself for its sake. It is both a beautiful read, and a very hurtful one - and truly deserving of its award.

1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sARuFu-tc
2  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meKc6D_5IRM
3  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VysLoGdQ-X0

( picture of book cover from the internet )

Rating: ****1/2