John of John

At twenty-two, John-Calum Macleod quits art school in Edinburgh penniless and directionless; his grandmother has fallen ill, and his father wants him back on Harris. On the croft he slips into his old place between two people. One is his father John, who keeps sheep, weaves tweed and preaches in the strict island Presbyterian church. The other is Ella, his mother's mother from Glasgow, who has shared the house with John ever since Cal's mother walked out. Cal talks Gaelic at home, works the loom at night and helps with the flock, all while concealing that he is gay; the boy next door, once his lover, now ignores him. As lambing gives way to shearing, family secrets and the strains of a close-knit island community surface, and Cal must ask whether he can live at home as himself.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Genres

Family, Coming of age (assigned by AI)

Set in

United Kingdom

First published

2026

Author's age

50 when first published

ISBN

9780802167194 (Grove Press, United States)

9781035086962 (Picador, Australia)

9781035086955 (Picador, United Kingdom)

9781035086979 (Picador, United Kingdom)

More

Wikidata