Shuggie Bain

Shuggie Bain, Scottish-American author Douglas Stuart’s debut novel, is a work of realist fiction depicting the childhood and teenage years of the title character. Though Shuggie is the protagonist, much of the novel’s action centers on his mother, Agnes Bain, and her struggle with alcoholism. Set in and around Glasgow from 1981-1992, Stuart’s novel reflects the bleak conditions the Glaswegian working class faced in an era of deindustrialization following the policies of the Thatcher administration. Shuggie Bain was published in 2020, to great critical acclaim, winning the 2020 Booker Prize, and being longlisted for the Fiction First Novel Prize and the National Book Award. This guide references the Grove Press paperback edition.

Plot Summary

Two chapters bookend the novel, depicting Shuggie Bain’s life in 1992 before showing the events in his and his mother’s lives from 1981 to 1991. Shuggie Bain, at only age 16, is living alone in Glasgow, Scotland. He lives in a run-down boarding house whose owner does not ask many questions. He works at a supermarket deli. Shuggie tries to avoid the attention of the other men in the boarding house, but he cannot completely avoid the advances of Mr. Darling, who seems interested in him.

In 1981, Shuggie’s mother, Agnes, his father, Big Shug, and his two half-siblings, Catherine and Leek, live with Agnes’s parents, Lizzie and Wullie, in Sighthill. Agnes’s drinking habit causes problems for her family. Shug’s many infidelities, coupled with a deep dissatisfaction with her life, drive Agnes’s self-destructive behavior. Things come to a head when she tries to kill herself and Shuggie by setting her room on fire.

In 1982, Shug moves his family to Pithead, a town far from the bustling city, which is feeling the effects of the declining coal mining industry. Shug abandons Agnes and his children, moving in with Joanie Micklewhite, the operator for the cab company he works for.

The family adjusts to their new life in an unfamiliar town without Shug. While Agnes spirals deeper into alcoholism, Shuggie deals with being an effeminate boy in a homophobic society. Neighborhood children bully him as well as his classmates on the rare occasions he attends school. Catherine marries Shug’s nephew, Donald Jr., and moves with him to South Africa. Agnes never sees her again. Wullie dies of cancer, and Lizzie follows soon after, leaving Agnes more alone than ever. Agnes’s worsening alcoholism makes home life a nightmare for Shuggie and Leek.

Things take a positive turn when Agnes joins Alcoholics Anonymous. The year she spends sober is the happiest of Shuggie’s childhood. Agnes takes a part-time job at a petrol station, where she meets Eugene McNamara, another cab driver. The two begin dating and, for a while, they have a good relationship. However, Eugene’s attitude toward Agnes begins to cool after he sees her Alcoholics Anonymous friends at a party celebrating her one year of sobriety. They attempt to make their relationship work. Eugene persuades Agnes to drink with him one evening, sending Agnes spiraling right back into addiction.

With Eugene gone, it becomes incumbent upon Shuggie and Leek to take care of their mother. Leek is the family’s chief source of income, aside from the welfare checks that Shuggie picks up each week, and which Agnes spends on alcohol. Agnes kicks Leak out after an argument. Leak warns Shuggie that Agnes’s behavior will never change and that she will never get better. 

In 1989, Agnes and Shuggie move into a flat on the East End of Glasgow. Agnes hopes the change will help her kick her drinking habit; Shuggie hopes it will help him become more like a normal boy. Neither of their wishes come true. Shuggie meets Leanne, a girl with an alcoholic mother. Through her, he comes to realize that he does not like girls and will never be “normal” in the way society wants him to be. Agnes dies the day after her birthday, choking on her own vomit, passed out in her chair. Shuggie does not save her. He realizes that Leek was correct: he could not save her from herself.

In 1992, Shuggie meets up with Leanne. Her mother, Moira, is homeless due to alcoholism. Shuggie knows that Moira, like Agnes, will not get better; still, Leanne tries. She brings her mother food and fresh clothes. Shuggie and Leanne stroll through the market. When Leanne says she cannot imagine Shuggie dancing, Shuggie scoffs and does a single, proud pirouette.