Book Review: Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart

By georgelthomas on 16 Feb 2024 • ( 1 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart.

TRIGGER WARNING ALERT!
This book involves descriptions of abuse in all its forms, from sexual and physical to verbal and psychological, including some explicit homophobia. If such things might be harmful for you to read about, then I’d avoid this one.

Young Mungo was initially published in 2022 by Grove Press and is 400 pages long.

The Plot
The story follows the life of Mungo, a young boy growing up in poverty with his alcoholic mother and his siblings in the early 90s as he struggles with his own identity versus who everyone else wants him to be.

Characters
Mungo Hamilton
Mungo is a 15-year-old boy growing up in Glasgow in the 1990s. He is small and soft-hearted and perceived as effeminate, making him the target of bullies and occasionally his own brother, Hamish. He lives with his mother on an estate on the Protestant side of the religious divide and struggles to deal with his sexuality.

Because of his effeminate nature, his mother sends him off with two men from her Alcoholics Anonymous group who promise to toughen him up. Unfortunately, and horrifically for Mungo, they abuse him horribly, causing Mungo to defend himself.

Jodi Hamilton
Jodi is Mungo’s older sister. She is laced with maternal instinct and empathy, constantly trying to protect and take care of her younger brother, especially when their mother is lacking in the parenting department. She’s a person who wants more from her life than her mother, and she also wants more for Mungo.

Unfortunately, although throughout the story, she is shown to be a kind and tolerant person, Jodie is unable to accept the fact that her brother is gay, which helps Mugo see that he has to be there for himself.

Hamish Hamilton
Hamish is the eldest of the Hamilton siblings and has dropped out of school. He is a violent and aggressive bully and is the leader of a gang of protestant boys and men. On top of being a thug, Hamish is also a massive homophobe and doesn’t like the fact his brother is gay, going so far as to badly beat the boy he has been spending time with.

Hamish is the epitome of toxic masculinity, expecting men to behave a particular way, and he doesn’t like it when they don’t.

Maureen (Mo Maw) Hamilton
Maureen is a complicated character. She became a mother at quite a young age, having three children by twenty. Because of this, Mo Maw feels she has been robbed of a better or different life. Mo Maw has an alcohol addiction and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, even though she doesn’t seem to be working to become sober. Because of her alcoholism, she is unable to keep steady work or hold down any substantial relationships, and she relies on her children, especially Mungo, to look after her rather than the other way around.

James Jamieson
James becomes the object of Mungo’s affection, and the two become close quickly. James’s father knows about his homosexuality, though he is homophobic and tells him he needs to find a girlfriend to fix himself, which he does to keep his dad happy.

At one point in the book, he is beaten up by Mungo’s brother Hamish, who seems to think James has turned his brother gay. James, already dreaming and planning on leaving the city, invites Mungo to go with him.

Gallowgate
Gallowgate is the story’s main antagonist and is a particularly vile human being. He has been recently released from prison for abusing his brother and is one of the men Mungo’s mother sends him away with to toughen him up. He is a violent man, and while in the countryside with Mungo, he abuses him horrifically. Afterwards, he thinks Mungo will be the cause of his reincarnation and decides to try and kill him.

St. Christopher
St. Christopher is the other of the two men whom Mo Maw sends Mungo off with. Like Gallowgate, he is an alcoholic and has also been in prison for inflicting horrific abuse on a minor, which is where he met Gallowgate. Whilst fishing in the countryside with Mungo, he abuses him and then again later, telling Mungo that he deserves it.

Writing Style
Young Mungo is such a well-written book. It’s easy to read and tough to put down, two things I long for in books. Its plot is riveting and grips you from the get-go. Like his other book, Shuggie Bain, Stuart manages to paint a stark and bleak picture of Glasgow of the early 90s and shows the struggles of those living below the breadline. He also skillfully captures the nuances of the Scottish dialect and accent, adding an extra layer of authenticity to the story.

Young Mungo is a powerful and deeply affecting novel that will stay with you for a long while. Douglas Stuart has crafted a remarkable portrait of a young boy’s coming of age and has done so with sensitivity, honesty, and an unflinching eye for detail.

Everything from the setting to the characters comes to life through words, and though, at times, the book is dark and gritty, it’s nonetheless compelling.

But it is the character of Mungo himself that truly radiates in this novel. He is a complex and multi-layered person, struggling with his identity in a world that doesn’t seem to want him. Through Mungo’s eyes, we see the harsh realities of poverty, addiction, and violence, but also the fierce loyalty and love that bind a family together and the stresses and strains that can pull them apart.

Final Thoughts
Like I said, Young Mungo is a well-written book, though, at times, I found it hard to read. There are several moments throughout the story where things take a brutal turn, and I found myself baulking a little. I couldn’t help but feel for Mungo, which, I suppose, shows excellent storytelling.

I have to say, this is not a light read, and it’s a story laced with all kinds of torment unleashed upon not just Mungo but some of the other characters, too. Even so, I’m glad I preserved through the dark and gritty parts and so pleased to have gotten to know Mungo.

I highly recommend reading Young Mungo. Whether you are a fan of literary fiction, coming-of-age stories, or stories of resilience and hope, this book should not be missed and deserves to be read and remembered for years.

I am giving Young Mungo a 9/10.

Have you read Young Mungo? What did you think? I’ve just learned there is going to be a television adaptation, which will be interesting.

Thank you, as ever, for stopping by to read my review. It means a lot!

Until next time,

George