A happy Burns Night to one and all. In honour of this day of celebration for ol' Rabbie Burns, and by extension all Scottish literature, we're taking a dive into one of the most popular Booker Prize winners: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. The novel, Stuart's debut, presents a blistering and heartbreaking exploration of the unsinkable love that only children can have for their damaged parents.

In this episode Jo and James:

• Share a brief biography of Douglas Stuart
• Summarise the plot of Shuggie Bain
• Discuss their thoughts on the novel
• Delve into the characters, particularly Shuggie and his mother, Agnes
• Consider the idea of the divided self in Scottish literature

Reading list:

• Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
• Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
• Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark
• His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

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