Reading Ron Charles' review, https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2022/04/05/young-mungo-douglas-stuart/, I can add very little. The book is beautifully written and the tension is superb with interesting characters, yet I skimmed a portion of it because it was too bleak to read. And heaven knows I love a bleak book, but this one really troubled me. Young Mungo was a very empathetic character yet what happens to him and how he responded took me to dark places. A camping trip worthy of [b:Deliverance|592657|Deliverance|James Dickey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624579180l/592657._SY75_.jpg|1257919]. I think my abbreviated reading was the right decision but still applaud the author's talent. ( )

It fills me with wonder that the author can write so beautifully about brutality and violence. Highly recommended for all libraries. ( )

Brilliant. Absolutely loved it. ( )

Loved it. Brutally honest, at times just brutal. Beautifully written. Strong characters. Manages to be both an epic tale and a story of everyday life in the tenements of Glasgow. Provides a glimmer of hope...but just a glimmer, and that glimmer comes at great cost. A book not for the faint of heart, but one of the best books I've read.

Douglas Stuart is becoming one of my favourite authors. ( )

I ended up reading this novel and another of a similar bent back to back. (No pun intended.) I wrote a review for that other book, which was simultaneously a tacit review of Young Mungo — sort of a compare and contrast. You can read that review on the corresponding Goodreads review page.

Long story short, Young Mungo is top shelf stuff and I barely feel qualified to review what is so obviously a masterpiece. If you want more, check out that other review. ( )