John of John

An Oprah pick that everyone is describing it as atmospheric. (it is!!) The author transports you to a remote Scottish island in the 1990s - a cold, foggy, rainy place where sheep farming and Tweed weaving are slowly dying, and everyone is struggling financially. After four years at art school in Edinburgh, Cal is broke, unemployed, sleeping on friends’ couches, and barely eating. He is a talented textile artist, but there are no job opportunities. During one of their weekly calls, his deeply religious father, John, convinces Cal to come home because his grandmother Ella isn’t doing well. Cal tells himself he is returning for her, but the truth is, he doesn’t any other options. Once home, Cal struggles to understand more about his mother’s leaving, his father’s bitterness, and the many secrets buried within their small island community. Faith, fear, shame, sexuality, and the pressure to live according to other people’s expectations play a large part in his future choices. The writing is undeniably beautiful, but at over 400 pages, I kept waiting to feel something bigger: to be shocked, moved, sad, or completely invested. That moment never came.  I am an outlier on this one, so please give it a try if you'd like a quiet, beautifully written story set in Scotland. ⭐⭐⭐