Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

Book Club Discussion Questions

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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Much of Shuggie Bain is set in Pithead, a run-down public housing scheme in 1980s Glasgow. When Agnes Bain finds that her husband, Shug, is moving the family from her parents' flat in Sighthill, she thinks life will be better in the mining town, but instead she finds that Pithead is just a collection of miners' houses on the edge of town with no longstanding social, economic, or cultural fabric to hold it together. How does that compare to America's Rust Belt cities and Appalachian towns? How does it compare to Sighthill?
2. In Chapter 5, the author paints a grim picture of a girl's life in Glasgow as Catherine makes her way through a Saturday. Even considering the menacing series of events that lead Catherine running to the pallet fort that day to find Leek, were you surprised by the threat from a gang of young boys to give her a "Glasgow smile" over something as seemingly petty as her allegiance to this or that football team? What does that say about the role sectarianism plays in Glasgow? What kinds of racial or religious parallels can you draw with American culture, both regionally and nationally?
3. Before moving to Pithead, Shug, Agnes, and her three children are "all crammed together in her mammy's flat, [giving Agnes] a feeling of failure." Instead, Agnes dreams of having her own front door, a garden, of "flitting" to a fresh start with Shug despite the overwhelming challenges his cheating and her alcoholism present. When Shug finally moves them, instead of it being a new beginning for them, he unexpectedly dumps the family in a council flat where tough, down-on-their luck women—their husbands emasculated by unemployment—run the community. How does this environment change the way you viewed Lizzie, her card-playing friends, and Agnes's life in Sighthill?
4. Agnes is painted throughout as both neglectful and in thrall to her addiction but also as a tower of pride and strength. On pp. 267–68 these conflicting sides of her are described: "…some days you could starve rather than get a hot meal from her, but Shuggie looked at her now and understood this was where she excelled. Every day with the make-up on and her hair done, she climbed out of her grave and held her head high. When she had disgraced herself with drink, she got up the next day, put on her best coat, and faced the world. When her belly was empty and her weans were hungry, she did her hair and let the world think otherwise." How did these irreconcilable depictions play in your head while you were reading? Or are they reconcilable?
5. The raw honesty of the characters in Shuggie Bain is almost shocking to an American ear. Nobody holds back, not even the kind man who runs the taxi garage where Agnes takes refuge in the rain and who right away sizes Agnes up for a drunk the day she's on her way to pawn her mink coat. Unlike other characters, he seems bent on helping Agnes, suggesting AA to her over a cup of tea. What do you make of the unapologetic candor—both kind and rough—in this book? Is there something to this Glaswegian honesty that Americans could benefit from?
6. Shuggie's femininity is ridiculed and weaponized by both children and adults. He is sexually assaulted by Bonny Johnny, the washing-machine boy, without even understanding what Johnny seems to plainly see in him or what a "wee poof" is. Leek tells him to be "normal for once" to which Shuggie replies, "I am normal." Colleen tells Agnes: "Ye should focus yersel on that poofy wee boy of yers." In the United States we talk about being "closeted" and "coming out." At least in this part of Glasgow at this time, there appears to be no such closet for Shuggie or much tolerance for his being effeminate. How does this line up with your experiences with people's sexuality and gender identity in the United States? How does Agnes, in her way, give him the armor to withstand what people rain down on him?
7. Throughout the book, Shuggie treats Agnes with the utmost tenderness, even when she's at her worst. He cares for her physically, emotionally, and economically, as when he skips school to get their Tuesday Book. We often talk of the children of alcoholics taking on the role of parent and by all rights, Shuggie does. Indeed, he's been abandoned to that role by both his father and his siblings. Still, his tenderness remains. Given everything one might judge Agnes for, what does she give Shuggie that he needs and/or values in return? What about her makes her a sympathetic character when viewed through his eyes? How does that stack up against everyone who has left him?
8. For better or worse, Agnes has undeniable power over men. When Shug moves her to the Pit and she discovers that he's not staying, she asks him, "Why the fuck did you bring me here?" His answer? "I had to see if you would actually come." What did the following passage reveal to you about Shug and Agnes: "She had loved him, and he had needed to break her completely to leave her for good. Agnes Bain was too rare a thing to let someone else love. It wouldn't do to leave pieces of her for another man to collect and repair later." Did this change the way you viewed Agnes? Did it make you root for her? How did this revelation affect the way you viewed the balance of power between Agnes and Shug?
9. How did you react when Agnes was the only one who helped Colleen in the street the day Jamesy left her—even if she felt a bit of satisfaction in it? When Colleen described their marriage, did that change your perspective about what happened between Jamesy and Agnes? What about Colleen's remark that she "didnae want any more mouths to feed" after Agnes had coveted her family?
10. So many people seem to want to keep Agnes down. Shug wants to break her so there are no pieces left for another man to repair. Jinty uses her as a support for her own alcoholism, even going so far as to offer up Agnes in exchange for a bag of carry-out in a devastating scene. All manner of men take advantage of her both casually and violently. But Eugene seems really to like Agnes and want a life with her. Were you surprised when he pressed her to drink again at the golf club despite her pushback?
11. When Leek threw Agnes's first anniversary party, how did you react?
12. When Shug takes Shuggie to Joanie's house while Agnes is recovering from her suicide attempt, Joanie's council scheme is described: "What was once built to be new and healthful now looked sick with a poverty of hope." Joanie "had a concrete front yard and an asphalt backyard, and therefore they paid a higher rent rate to the council." What do Agnes and Joanie's very different yards reveal about them?
13. Agnes's father, Wullie, is depicted as one of the most standup characters in Agnes's life. But when Wullie is on his deathbed in the hospital, Lizzie reveals to Agnes the secret of the baby son who was not Wullie's, a baby who was the result of sex with a greengrocer in exchange for extra bits of food during the war while Wullie was away. When Wullie disappeared Lizzie's baby with no explanation after his return, how did you react? Was it OK that Lizzie let the boy go? What role does the irrevocability of motherhood in general play in Shuggie Bain?
14. Leanne is the first character in Shuggie Bain who seems to take Shuggie for who he is and with whom Shuggie can really be friends. Did a peek into Leanne's life with her own alcoholic mother make you view Shuggie and Agnes differently?
15. At various points in the book, Agnes assesses her level of drunkenness and often adjusts her behavior accordingly for the most desired effect in the moment—sometimes holding back and sometimes letting her anger rip. Does her level of self-awareness and self-reflection in the midst of a bender come as a surprise?
16. After everything, after hoping against hope that Agnes would someday recover, in an achingly intimate moment Shuggie seems to let his mother go. Or perhaps his hesitation in clearing her mouth wasn't intentional. What do you think?
17. Scottish slang is rich and wonderful and sometimes very hard to understand for an American reader (without resorting to Google). How did the language in this book affect your read? What were your favorite words and expressions? Did they have American English equivalents?
18. The theme of being "enough" to keep someone—Agnes, anyone—from being an alcoholic is repeated throughout Shuggie Bain. Shug complains that he's not enough. Shuggie desperately wishes he were and mistakenly assigns that magical attribute to Eugene, who in reality appeared after Agnes's most longstanding go at remaining sober only to coax her back. What did you take away from this book regarding the role that control—internal or external—plays in alcoholism?
19. What role does forgiveness play in Shuggie Bain? Which of the siblings seems best off at the end?

Guide by Paula Cooper, reproduced from groveatlantic.com with permission

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Grove Press. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.