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Reader's Guide for "John of John" by Douglas Stuart, Oprah's Book Club Pick
Oprah praised the novel’s depiction of love in a hostile, judgmental world as her 123rd Book Club pick.
On Tuesday, Oprah Winfrey announced Douglas Stuart's 'John of John' as her 123rd book club pick, calling it a "complex and compelling tale that ultimately showcases the transformational power of love."
Stuart, author of 'Shuggie Bain' and 'Young Mungo', received "the call" from Winfrey a few months ago, describing it as "one of the greatest, and most surreal, calls of my life."
Set in an isolated Outer Hebrides community, the novel follows art school student John-Calum "Cal" MacLeod returning from Edinburgh to his troubled father and ailing grandmother after Stuart's 16 weeks of research.
Winfrey told CBS Mornings the novel is "liberating for people who have been suppressing themselves," noting she felt transported by how tradition and judgment shaped the remote community's life.
Previously a designer at Banana Republic, Stuart now lives in Greenwich Village with his husband Michael Cary and noted leaving his hometown helped him realize he "wasn't the only person with pain in my life.