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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Why you should read Shuggie Bain (If you haven't already)