How author Douglas Stuart’s journey to a remote Scottish island inspired ‘John of John’

Key Concepts

• Outer Hebrides: An archipelago off the northwest coast of Scotland, characterized by a rugged, lunar landscape and traditional crofting culture.
• Scottish Gaelic: A Celtic language that remains a cultural stronghold in the Outer Hebrides.
• Conservative Calvinism: A strict branch of Protestantism that heavily influences the social and moral fabric of the island communities.
• Crofting: A traditional form of small-scale, subsistence farming specific to the Scottish Highlands and islands.
• Harris Tweed: A world-renowned, hand-woven textile produced in the Outer Hebrides.
• Stoic Masculinity: A cultural framework where men suppress emotional expression to maintain a facade of toughness, often as a survival mechanism in dangerous or difficult labor environments.

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1. Origins and Inspiration

Douglas Stewart began writing John of John in 2019 while awaiting the publication of his Booker Prize-winning debut, Shuggy Bain. Driven by professional anxiety and a desire to pivot from his fashion career, Stewart traveled to the Outer Hebrides for 12 weeks. He sought to understand his own country beyond the inner-city environment of his upbringing. The novel’s setting was inspired by the unique convergence of Gaelic culture, conservative religion, traditional weaving, and the fading lifestyle of crofting.

2. Narrative Framework and Plot

The story follows Cal, a young man who leaves art school to return to his rural island home under the pretense of his grandmother’s illness. Upon arrival, he discovers his grandmother is healthy, signaling that his father, John, has manipulated the situation to bring him back.

The narrative structure utilizes a dual point-of-view approach, alternating between Cal and John. Stewart chose this structure to explore the "Herculean task" of emotional communication between a father and son who are deeply connected yet fundamentally unable to articulate their feelings.

3. Key Arguments: Masculinity and Emotional Suppression

Stewart argues that the emotional distance between the characters is not a lack of love, but a byproduct of a specific, narrow expression of masculinity.

• The Protective Facade: Stewart notes that the men he grew up around performed dangerous, difficult labor (such as coal mining). He posits that if these men acknowledged their fear or dissatisfaction, their lives would "unravel." Consequently, silence becomes a protective mechanism for both the individual and the family unit.
• Generational Misunderstanding:
  • Cal’s Perspective: He feels his father is attempting to control him by forcing him into a rigid, stoic mold of masculinity.
  • John’s Perspective: He feels that Cal does not respect the sacrifices he has made or the value of the life he has built on the croft.
• The "Missed Moment": During his research, Stewart observed that many unmarried islanders attributed their status to having "missed their moment for love." Stewart realized that for gay individuals in these isolated, conservative communities, this "missed moment" was often a result of systemic invisibility, as the community could not even conceive of homosexuality as a possibility.

4. Notable Quotes

• On the emotional repression of the men he observed: "If they started to talk about their feelings, then everything would unravel because the very first thing you would say is I don't want to go into a coal mine. I'm scared. I'm underpaid, I feel undervalued."
• On the structural intent of the novel: "It was almost a sort of exercise in how claustrophobic could you make this relationship? How could you take these two characters that almost know everything about each other, but then won't say the things that are sort of closest to their hearts?"

5. Synthesis and Conclusion

John of John serves as an exploration of the claustrophobia inherent in repressed relationships. By placing his characters in the isolated, wild, and culturally distinct environment of the Outer Hebrides, Stewart highlights the tension between traditional expectations and individual identity. The novel functions as a study of how love can exist in the absence of communication, and how the rigid performance of masculinity can prevent fathers and sons from truly knowing one another, even when they share every aspect of their daily lives.