#5 in Literary fiction
Young Mungo
- 432
- Pages
- about 8 h
- Reading time
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About the book
Young Mungo is a 2022 novel by Scottish-American writer Douglas Stuart. It was published by Grove Press on 5 April 2022 and by Picador on 14 April 2022. The novel follows Mungo Hamilton, a teenager navigating a life of poverty and parental neglect in the early 1990s Glasgow. When the character falls in love with a boy named James, he must confront the homophobia, toxic masculinity, and religious conflicts of the society of his time. It is Stuart's second novel, following his Booker Prize-winning debut Shuggie Bain (2020). The novel was critically acclaimed and was chosen as one of the best books of the year by publications such as The Washington Post, Time, Reader's Digest, The Telegraph, and Vanity Fair.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.6 across 203 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 52% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Literary fiction average of 8.3. That is how 8.5 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 8.6 | 203 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“It's hard not to compare Young Mungo to Shuggie Bain. Both set in the poor areas of Glasgow and they both deal with poverty, neglect and abuse. But, if the Shuggie Bain story has a big heart, Young Mungo has a dark and violent heart. Yes, there are moments of kindness and tenderness, but they don't shine through and pull your heartstrings like they do with Shuggie Bain. I thought this book was good, but in places it is extremely unpleasant and difficult read.”
“This is such a heavy book full of so much violence and so much love. So many impossibly difficult lives, and people just keep drowning in their poverty and hopelessness and sadness, and everything good and beautiful gets ruined again and again.”
“A moving and powerful read — I went in not knowing anything about this book and expecting a fairly light coming-of-age romance book. That is not what this is, but I was far from disappointed. A moving and powerful read that really explores themes that I recognise growing up in Scotland in the 90s / early 00s (although nothing remotely like the events of the book). It's an emotional look back at a very recent past, but also shows how far we've come. Highly recommend this book. One of the highlights of my 2024 reading year. I'm excited to read Douglas Stuart's first novel.”
Frequently asked
What is Young Mungo rated?
8.5 out of 10, from 203 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is Young Mungo worth reading?
Readers give it 8.5/10 from 203 ratings, which puts it ahead of 91 % of the Literary fiction shelf.
How long does it take to read Young Mungo?
About 8 hours at an average reading pace — 432 pages.
Where does Young Mungo rank?
#5 in Literary fiction on the current snapshot.
How long is Young Mungo?
It has 432 pages — longer than 56% of the ranked books in Literary fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Literary fiction — with scores between 8.3 and 8.5, closest to this book.
