Douglas Stuart: “John of John” | Oprah’s Book Club

Douglas Stuart chose the Isle of Harris as the novel's setting because its unique convergence of Gaelic language, devout Calvinism, and traditional Harris Tweed weaving created a powerful, claustrophobic environment. This isolation and close-knit community, where 'everybody knows everybody else's business,' intensifies the need for characters to keep secrets, particularly regarding their sexuality, as it directly conflicts with the dominant religious and social norms.

Oprah notes, 'The setting in the book is a character itself, is it not?' Stuart confirms, detailing how the lunar landscape, Calvinism, and weaving traditions made him realize, 'This is where the book is set.' He also explains the late 90s setting: 'If everybody was on their phones, this would be a very different story.'

Stuart's intention in writing 'John of John' was to portray the universal queer experience of feeling unloved, unseen, and hidden, particularly for working-class individuals before the new century. He argues that young queer people often live as 'absolute fictions' to those around them, constantly managing external perceptions and suppressing their true selves to avoid shame or judgment.

Kenny, a reader, expresses feeling 'seen' by the book, relating to the 'dual secret' and the struggle to be a 'good man in a world that says that the kind of man that I am is never quite good enough.' Stuart elaborates, 'You spend all of your formative years not being yourself, but actually looking at how someone else looks at you always and then trying to hide the part of you that you know might bring you shame or judgment.'

The novel explores the profound sadness of men who carry deep melancholy emotions without an outlet, often due to societal expectations and dangerous, demanding work. This burden extends across generations, as parents build lives that their children may not want, leading to a questioning of their own choices and unfulfilled desires. Healing for the younger generation is contingent upon understanding and empathizing with the unlived lives of their predecessors.

Stuart reflects on the 'sadness that men must also carry and how they have no outlet for it,' particularly working-class men. He states his goal was to show that 'it's often the arrogance of youth... that we think we're the only ones with secrets and hidden lives... and we don't often afford enough empathy to our parents and our grandparents to also wonder are you living the life you wanted to live?'

The book vividly portrays the internal and external conflict between deeply held religious faith and personal desire, particularly for gay individuals within a conservative church. This struggle is not easily resolved, as it forces characters to confront how to love both God and themselves, and reconcile their inherent identity with doctrines that condemn it.

Stuart describes the community's 'very devout form of Calvinism' where 'to be gay... is just not something that really can exist.' He notes the struggle 'becomes inside self... how can you both love God and love yourself and love who you love and how can you reconcile those things at the same time.' Bill, a former evangelical pastor, recounts his own journey of reconciling his faith with his gay son, initially hating homosexuality but eventually finding a more loving interpretation of Jesus.