Douglas Stuart’s John of John shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize
Douglas Stuart’s John of John, has advanced to the 2026 Booker Prize shortlist.
The novel, Douglas Stuart's third, is published by Picador, Pan Macmillan's literary imprint.
Having captivated global readers with his Booker Prize-winning debut, Shuggie Bain, and his bestselling second novel, Young Mungo, Douglas continues to establish himself as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary fiction.
‘The story I had to write’
Set on the Hebridean Isle of Harris, the novel explores the quiet, corrosive effects of living a secret life. In a recent interview with the Booker Prizes, Douglas explained that he set out to write about the ‘bond between a father and son despite the deep silence between them.’
He noted that he was drawn to the Outer Hebrides because rural spaces are so often overlooked in conversations about class, sexuality, and social upheaval. On the Isle of Harris, he found a rich culture shaped by crofting, weaving, the Gaelic language, and devout Presbyterianism. Speaking to the urgency of the novel, Douglas said: ‘It's not that I wanted to tell this story now – although the world is as divided as it ever was, and queer people are under increasing attack – but it's more that this is the story I had to write, and there was nothing that I could do but to write it.’
Judges enthused by John of John
The 2026 Booker Prize judging panel praised John of John for its emotional resonance and rich atmosphere, stating: ‘We loved the rich, textural detail of the story, which is set in the 90s and examines young Cal's fraught relationship with his domineering father. There's a vivid sense of time and place, as the island becomes the site of bristling tensions between secret lovers, feuding families, and a stand-off between tradition and modernity. This excavation of family, violence, and shame is woven through with beautiful imagistic detail, and – unexpectedly but wonderfully – shades of hope.’
Judging chair Mary Beard added that Stuart ‘paints the island landscape vividly,’ noting that ‘there is a rough tenderness in the story that Stuart weaves, as well as tremendous emotional depth.’
The 2026 Booker Prize shortlist
Out of 163 submitted novels, the six books chosen by this year's panel for the shortlist are:
- Black Bag by Luke Kennard
- John of John by Douglas Stuart
- May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
- The Disappearers by Marlon James
- The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
- The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
The Booker Prize winner will be announced later this year.
