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Young Mungo

The No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller, from the Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain

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Young Mungo

By: Douglas Stuart
Narrated by: Chris Reilly
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About this listen

Winner of The British Book Awards Fiction Audiobook of the Year

The Number One Sunday Times Bestseller


A Selection of Dua Lipa's Service95 Bookclub

'Beautiful and moving, a gay Romeo and Juliet set in the brutal world of Glasgow’s housing estates' – The Observer

From the Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain, a vivid portrayal of working-class life in 80s Glasgow, and the deeply moving story of the dangerous first love of two young men.

Born under different stars, Protestant Mungo and Catholic James live in a hyper-masculine world. They are caught between two of Glasgow’s housing estates, where young working-class men divide themselves along sectarian lines, and fight territorial battles for the sake of reputation.

They should be sworn enemies if they’re to be seen as men at all, and yet as they begin to fall in love, they dream of escape, and Mungo must work hard to hide his true self from all those around him...

Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the meaning of masculinity, the push and pull of family, the violence faced by so many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.

'Reilly’s narration, especially when he’s voicing the people in Mungo’s life who hurt him, is full of barely repressed violence. But Reilly also captures Mungo’s wonder, love, and irrepressible softness' - Audiofile magazine

Young Mungo was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 10/4/22

Coming of Age Genre Fiction LGBTQIA+ Creators Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance World Literature

Critic Reviews

Prepare your hearts, for Douglas Stuart is back. After the extraordinary success of Shuggie Bain, his second novel, Young Mungo, is another beautiful and moving book, a gay Romeo and Juliet set in the brutal world of Glasgow’s housing estates.
I wasn't sure Young Mungo could live up to Shuggie Bain, but it surpasses it. Deeply harrowing but gently infused with hope & love. And so exquisitely written. It's a joy to watch, in real time, as Douglas Stuart takes his place as one of the greats of Scottish literature. (Nicola Sturgeon)
Few novels are as gutsy and gut-wrenching as Young Mungo in its depiction of a teenage boy who finds love amid family dysfunction, community conflict and the truly terrible predations of adults. Vividly realised and emotionally intense, this scorching novel is an urgent addition to the new canon of unsung stories. (Bernardine Evaristo)
Some novels can be admired, others enjoyed. But it is a rare thing to find a story so engrossing, bittersweet and beautiful that you do not so much read it, as experience it. It is this quality Young Mungo possesses - an intense, lovely, brutal thing. Stuart is a masterful storyteller. (Kiran Millwood Hargrave)
I can honestly say that the second novel from the author of Shuggie Bain... surpassed my (high) expectations. Stuart makes you care deeply about all of his characters but none more than Mungo, Mo-Maw's beloved, "the softest, sweetest boy she had ever known".
Chris Reilly’s Scottish accent brings the bleak world of 1990s Glasgow to life. Mungo lives with his unreliable mother, his violent brother, and his protective but preoccupied sister. He finds some joy in his budding romance with another boy, James, but when they’re discovered, his mother sends him on a fishing trip to “man up” with two near-strangers. Reilly’s narration, especially when he’s voicing the people in Mungo’s life who hurt him, is full of barely repressed violence. But Reilly also captures Mungo’s wonder, love, and irrepressible softness. He imbues the scenes between Mungo and James with tenderness so that their quiet exchanges become a respite for listeners.
Reilly, a Glaswegian of working-class background, is a transporting, evocative narrator of this humane heartstopper, freighted with foreboding.
All stars
Most relevant
I loved this book. I feel like I don't have the words to explain how the story of this beautiful boys life made me feel. A must read!!

Heartbreaking

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Shivers down my spine. Exceptionally well written. The audio book was well performed. We need more diverse books like this

One of the best books of my life

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This book… Gently guides you into falling in love with the soft spoken kind hearted mungo and then makes you hurt for it. Beautifully written masterful with its expression of the impoverished family unit and ultimately one of the best books I’ve ever read (listened too). With all that said extreme tw for things like sa, violence and neglect.

I can’t stop thinking about this book.

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A story of abuse (both sexual and mental), violence and an impossible love that seems to survive.
Beautifully read in that fantastic Glaswegian accent I grew up with in Australia. Listen to this. It is beautifully written and read.

Heart wrenching

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Heartbreak, sadness, grief, so beautifully written. Had to keep listening. What a haunting and powerful story.

Wow!

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