“I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are good people and bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.” Terry Pratchett We are so quick to judge those who deal with addiction and sitting atop that moral high horse think that those battling this issue have some kind of a choice that they don;t have the gumption to make. Shuggie Bain is a lesson in humanity. A story about a young boy who tries hard, really really hard, to help his mother out of her alcoholism makes the primary theme. But a story is just never one story- Shuggie Bain is also a narrative of human apathy, the social cruelty that we exercise with much bravado when we are many, and a quiet testimony of love between a child and parent against the backdrop of heart-breaking helplessness of an addict. There is so much compassion and kindness in Stuart’s story-telling- not just for Bain’s mother but even for his philandering father or the siblings who carved out their own release. That the tale has been inspired by Stuart’s own life made the book more endearing. Some readers have compared this gem to ‘A Little Life’- they couldn't have been more different. This story is all grace, humility, elegance, and poise. It is real, believable and a little bit extraordinary. I won’t even think of comparing it to ‘A Little Life’- a book that I refuse to talk about on principle that I find excessively indulgent and outrightly crappy (see, I am trying to exercise so much self-control here). We are a product of our circumstances. Sometimes, we just don’t have enough reserves to keep fighting the demonic problems that life curdles us with. Willpower is a muscle, we are told. How much of it remains to just wake up and get through another day- so much of that decision is about who we were and what we faced earlier. Shuggie Bain teaches each of us is fighting a harder battle. Just some of us need a bit more courage than others. And they take it chilled or on the rocks. #shuggiebain #bookerprize #indianreaders #gaypride #recommendedreading #bookflatlay #bookreviews #pridemonth #pridereads (at Delhi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CextguqLmA6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
