John of John

I really enjoyed how John of John slowly reveals its characters. Nobody is quite as they first appear, and it takes time to understand what each of them is carrying beneath the surface - which is a lot.

One of my favourite themes was how each generation builds on the lessons of the last. It’s not always the father teaching the son; sometimes the son has something to teach his father too.

It’s a beautifully written book, but a sad and heavy one. It reminded me a lot of Brokeback Mountain - that same sense of love, repression and lives shaped by the expectations of the world around them.

I’m glad I read it. But I definitely need to read something happy next. 😂

It's a compulsive book, set on the Outer Hebrides and full of Presbyterian darkness. The story unfolds through several perspectives. There aren't any jokes. Nonetheless I loved this book - a compelling story set in a compelling part of the world. Well worth reading.

I bought. This book for my husband birthday presy and he was engrossed from the presy unwrapping
Excellent novel

I went into this new release by Douglas Stuart expecting the same utter heartbreak and emotional torture that we got in Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo (both books I loved!) but John of John was different. More rural and isolated, quieter and slower, and gentler in it's exploration of fatherhood, masculinity, queerness, and religion. It was full to the brim with Stuart's incredible prose and this time the use of Gaelic was incorporated in a beautifully natural way. This novel is about an isolated community, a son returning home, a father grappling with not just the identity of his son but of his own as well, and the ways in which we reach for connection.