Douglas Stuart with Damian Barr: The Making of Shuggie Bain (2020 Event)

In the words of the Kirkus review: ‘You will never forget Shuggie Bain. Scene by scene, this book is a masterpiece.’

This astonishing debut is a powerful and heartbreaking story about the love between a boy and his mother, about poverty and addiction, about Thatcher’s Glasgow, about sexuality, coming of age and finding one’s way. Roaming through public housing, wandering in and out of pubs and neighbourhoods, it asks how we might protect those we love most of all, and at what cost.

Hugh ‘Shuggie’ Bain and his mother Agnes are two of the great characters of literature and in this event recorded live at the 2020 Book Festival, their creator, Douglas Stuart, answers your questions after a conversation with author Damian Barr. Inviting comparisons to the works of Alan Hollinghurst, Frank McCourt, and Hanya Yanagihara, you will not finish it unscathed, and you will not forget Shuggie Bain.