John of John
by Douglas Stuart
Out of money and with little to show for art school, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry home to the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. Little has changed there except for him.
Best for: Readers who like novels about home, class and belonging.
John of John is #22 on BookWard's Rising chart for October 2026: the hottest new books published in the past two years.
What John of John is about
Cal MacLeod is 22 and fresh from four years at art school in Edinburgh when he heads home to his family's croft on the Isle of Harris in the late 1990s. His father, John, a sheep farmer, weaver and deacon in the island's strict Presbyterian church, has called him back with word that Cal's grandmother Ella is gravely ill. Ella turns out to be remarkably sturdy, a Glaswegian who won't speak Gaelic and swears freely, and it becomes clear the summons had another purpose.
Father and son soon clash over Cal's dyed long hair, ripped jeans and rejection of his father's austere faith. Each also hides his sexuality from the other. John's wife, Grace, has left him for his own brother, a loss that hangs over the household. The title comes from Cal's reply to an elderly passenger who asks "Who do you belong to?": "John of John of Ian of Ian the Breabadair", breabadair meaning weaver. Present tension is interleaved with flashbacks that uncover old family secrets. Douglas Stuart's novel was shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
Why John of John is on the Rising chart
Its Wikipedia page had 22,266 views last month. The Rising score blends six public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 against the other new books and weighted as shown.
| Signal | This book | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reader pace | 17 | 28% |
| Buzz | 87 | 24% |
| Growth | 39 | 18% |
| Being read right now | 43 | 12% |
| Reader love | 66 | 10% |
| Newness | 100 | 8% |
Holding strong Wikipedia attention is steady (within -20% to +25% of the two months before).
The numbers behind it
- Wikipedia: 22,266 page views last month, against an average of 17,948 in the two months before (up 24%). Read the article.
- Open Library readers: 1 want to read, 0 reading now, 1 have read it.
- Ratings: 5 out of 5 from 1 Open Library ratings.
John of John on the Rising chart: history
First on the chart this month. The history grows with every monthly update.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | #22 | 52 |
Questions about John of John
Is John of John a new book?
Yes. John of John by Douglas Stuart was first published in 2026, and BookWard's Rising chart only includes books published in the past two years.
Why is John of John on the Rising chart?
Its Wikipedia page had 22,266 views last month.
More new books readers are finding
- The Calamity Club Kathryn Stockett
- The Things We Never Say Elizabeth Strout
- Half His Age Jennette McCurdy
- Martyr! Kaveh Akbar
Prefer proven favorites? See the Top 100, or all Rising books.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views. The description is paraphrased from real source text (Open Library or Wikipedia). A book is on the Rising chart only if it was published in 2025 or 2026 and its readers are active and its interest is not falling. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales. Read the full methodology.
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