Young Mungo

Beskrivelse

Young Mungo is a gripping and heartfelt novel about two young men navigating love and danger in a tough working-class environment. Written by Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart, it explores the challenges faced by Mungo and James as they confront sectarian divides and harsh realities in Glasgow.

A powerful story of forbidden love, masculinity, and survival in a divided community.

Young Mungo follows the lives of two boys from opposite backgrounds-Protestant Mungo and Catholic James-who grow up in a fiercely masculine world marked by sectarian rivalry. Set between two Glasgow housing estates, the young men are expected to be enemies, divided by religion and territory, but Mungo and James defy these expectations by forming a close friendship.

They find solace together in a doocot where James keeps his prized racing pigeons, and from this refuge, their bond deepens into love. As their feelings grow, they dream of escaping the bleakness of their city, but Mungo must keep his true identity hidden, especially from his older brother Hamish, a feared gang leader determined to maintain his tough reputation.

The constant risk of being found out hangs over Mungo, with consequences that could be devastating. When his mother sends him on a fishing trip to a remote loch in western Scotland with two strangers whose drunken conversations hint at dark pasts, Mungo must summon all his courage and strength to survive and return to safety.

Douglas Stuart’s lyrical storytelling brings to life the everyday struggles and hopes of his characters, tackling themes of masculinity, family loyalty, queer identity, and the dangers of loving deeply in a hostile world.

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