Overview

In Young Mungo, Douglas Stuart returns to working class Glasgow in the early 1990s. Mungo Hamilton is growing up in a Protestant housing scheme, surrounded by gang loyalties, violence, and rigid ideas of masculinity. Sensitive and unsure of his place, Mungo forms a secret friendship with James, a Catholic boy from a nearby estate. As their bond deepens, Mungo is forced to navigate family chaos, social danger, and the fear of being discovered.

Writing & Voice

We found Stuart’s writing immersive and emotionally direct. The prose is vivid without being showy, capturing both the brutality of Mungo’s environment and the tenderness of his inner life. Moments of beauty sit alongside violence, giving the story a steady emotional rhythm that never feels false.

Characters

Mungo is a deeply vulnerable central character, shaped by love, fear, and confusion. His mother Mo-Maw is volatile and unreliable, while his siblings pull him between protection and harm. James offers a glimpse of safety and understanding, and their connection feels fragile, intense, and painfully real.

Themes

Young Mungo explores masculinity, sectarianism, and the cost of living outside accepted norms. It looks at how violence is inherited, how tenderness is hidden, and how love can become an act of courage. We were struck by how clearly the novel shows the danger of being gentle in a hard world.

What Worked

• A powerful coming of age story rooted in place and social pressure.
• Emotional honesty that never flinches from fear or longing.
• A vivid sense of Glasgow shaped by class, loyalty, and threat.

Minor Quibbles

• The violence may be distressing for some readers.
• Its intensity leaves little room for emotional distance.

Final Thoughts

Young Mungo is a fierce and tender novel about love, danger, and the courage it takes to be yourself when the world demands otherwise.

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5