John of John
Broke, and with little to show for art school, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry home to the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. It's the 1990s. Back on the windswept croft, Cal is caught between his father John, a sheep farmer, weaver and pillar of the Presbyterian church, and his Glaswegian grandmother Ella, who has kept an uneasy peace with her son-in-law for decades. His father hates his long hair, and the small island community is pulling tighter. This is Stuart's third novel. He won the Booker in 2020 with Shuggie Bain.
Sea wind, island wool, and a father and son who can't say it. Keep tissues handy.
The Booker judges said: “This excavation of family, violence and shame is woven through with beautiful imagistic detail, and – unexpectedly – shades of hope. We loved the rich, textural detail of the story.”
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First published in the UK by Picador, 21 May 2026. The winner is announced November 9, 2026. Source: The Booker Prizes.