Shuggie Bain is a grim story set in a poverty-soaked coal-mining town in Glasgow in 1981. The writing is so powerful and visceral, I felt as if I was right there with the characters, living through their hardships, and their pain. Yet this is not a depressing read, as it contains endless depths of hope and love. Even when I knew things were going to get worse for young Shuggie, as he struggled to deal with his alcoholic mother, I couldn’t put the book down. Serves as a stark reminder of how poverty can destroy lives, and alter forever a child’s vision of the future. A deserved winner of the 2020 Booker Prize and a refreshingly straightforward read as far as Booker winners go!
— Olivia