Young Mungo (2022)

Why this one?

An easy one here: I enjoyed Stuart’s lockdown Booker-winning debut Shuggie Bain and wanted to check out his follow-up.

Thoughts, etc.

Young Mungo is a book that very much continues where Shuggie Bain left off. It’s not a sequel, but if you squinted a bit, it certainly could be. The world is the same - the grinding poverty of the Glasgow tenements in the late twentienth century, Shuggie’s Sighthill looming over the background of various scenes. The central character is again a boy coming to terms with his sexuality in unforgiving circumstances, while simultaneously devoting much of his love and energy to an alcoholic mother, with the same complement of older siblings as Shuggie. In short, if you loved his debut, you’re not going to find yourself wildly thrown off by the contents of this one. There are, of course, differences. Mungo is a fair bit older than Shuggie, already somewhat adapted to the reality he needs to at least try to fit into; similarly devoted to his disastrous mother, but less reliant on her and therefore slightly more open to possibilities beyond her world; and with at least sense of the possibility of escape.

The novel is structured in two alternating parts, taking part within the same year. One is set around his home, focusing on his growing relationship with the slightly older James, a Catholic to his Protestant, in a world that is evidently violently hostile to relationships between the warring factions, even before sexuality is added to the mix. In this section we also see his brother, the psychotically violent Hamish (Ha-Ha), who tries to encourage him to “be a man” largely through extreme violence, and his sister Jodie, who acts as a surrogate mother while plotting her own escape via education. His mother is notable generally by her absence, and therefore less dominant of the narrative than Shuggie’s equivalent, while still holding a big sway over Mungo and his worldview.

The section section is set a few months further down the line. Mungo is packed off on a fishing trip with two exceedingly dubious older men, associates of his mother via her AA group. They’ve volunteered their “services” under the auspices of introducing him to outdoors life, fishing, and generally “becoming a man.” It’s hugely obvious from the start that this isn’t a trip that’s going to end well. As we switch between the two parts, it becomes obvious that this is Mungo’s mother’s appalling solution to having discovered his relationship with James, and both strands drift inevitably towards their grim conclusions. The graphic brutality that takes place in both timelines is shocking even in spite of your heightened expectations.

For a novel that once again deals with such dark and depressing themes, there’s a remarkable amount of beauty in here. Stuart’s ability to plainly but movingly describe the innocence of the young boys’ relationship, is all the more effective for its contrast with a surrounding world that’s anything but innocent and set up to crush any spark of optimism. It’s also got the pace and momentum of a thriller. The second half or so is hard to put down - with tension ramping up and a desperate need to know what happens to the core characters.

Overall, it’s a book to equal its predecessor in many ways - even if it is perhaps lacking the originality of Shuggie. It blends the structure of a tight thriller with moments of seriousness and reflection, and is an oddly enjoyable read despite its difficult subject matter. It’s not without its flaws - aside from the relative similarity to Shuggie Bain it also (as many others have commented) occasionally suffers from a tendency to tell rather than show, and aspects of it (such as James’ Kes-like pigeon-keeping obsession) feel a little like the stuff of cliche. But in general it’s another brilliant tour through a seemingly bleak and heartless world in which hope and beauty can nonetheless exist.

Score

8.5

A highly recommended read. Will it win Stuart another Booker nomination? I’m not so sure, given the absence of new ground covered. But taken on its own merits, it’s another excellent book from a great talent who I’ll definitely continue to keep up with.

Next up

Back to the Women’s Prize with 1999 winner A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne.