Shuggie is the novel’s protagonist, though much of the plot follows his mother, Agnes. Shuggie has Agnes’s thick, black hair. Agnes taught him to be prim and proper. She teaches him to speak “proper” English, putting him at odds with much of their society; most people use the Glaswegian dialect and slang. From a young age, it is evident that Shuggie is not like other boys: He is more effeminate and less masculine. His mannerisms and lack of parental figures twice makes him a target for sexual assault, first by an older boy, then by a cab driver.

Shuggie’s Childhood is marked by anxiety and worry for his mother, but he develops from a shy, fearful victim to a stronger character by the end of the novel. We see his development in the way he reacts to abuse—at first accepting it passively, and later fighting back—and in the final moments of his mother’s life when he decides, for once, to let his mother face the fatal consequences of her actions. We see that he doesn’t regret this choice, as he scolds Moira for not appreciating Leanne’s assistance. Though he never openly comes to terms with his sexuality, by the end of the novel, he is at least more comfortable with it.