John Robertson

This is an extraordinary debut novel. The author has been able to conjure up so many vivid images of the Glasgow area from the 1980s. The central theme is universal: the love of a child and mother. It is a doomed relationship yet the son retains hope until almost the very end. Shuggie, despite being seen as ' no quite right' and a constant target for bullying, struggles in a heroic manner to care for Agnes, his alcoholic mother. It would be a perfect novel for a book club discussion as it deals with so many themes.