John of John

Booker Prize winner Stuart (Shuggie Bain) showcases his impressive gift for characterization in this perceptive and propulsive story of a tight-knit community of Gaelic-speaking sheep farmers and weavers on the remote Scottish isle of Harris. When John-Calum “Cal” Macleod returns from college on the mainland, his father, John, issues a stern accounting: “So, all that money, four years, no woman, and no job.” John, a strict Calvinist and lay pastor at the local church, is both loving and violent, embittered that Cal’s mother abandoned him for his own brother, leaving him to raise Cal with his contentious mother-in-law. John loves Cal, but not his long dyed hair or soft demeanor, and their altercations often end in slaps or with John making a fist while pronouncing his disapproval (“I could do without becoming known as the man who has a hugger for a son”). Cal finds solace with his Walkman and hides his continuing attraction to a neighbor, with whom he experimented sexually when they were teens, and Stuart adds a surprising and deeply affecting layer to the narrative by exploring John’s own secrets. Stuart’s deeply humane character work extends beyond father and son to their neighbors, including a sensitive middle-aged bachelor who belongs to John’s book club and cries while discussing Wuthering Heights. The author continues his winning streak with this brilliant novel. Agent: Anna Stein, CAA. (May)