Douglas Stuart, who won the 2020 Booker Prize for his debut novel “Shuggie Bain,” discusses his latest work, “John of John,” with PBS NewsHour. In interviews tied to the novel’s release, Stuart describes how his new book follows a young man who returns to his home on a rural Scottish island. The story centers on the character’s struggles with identity and religion as well as his relationship with his father. Across the coverage, Stuart’s background as the author of “Shuggie Bain” is also highlighted: that earlier novel portrays life in 1980s Glasgow from the perspective of a boy caring for his mother as she faces alcoholism. In the new novel, Stuart again explores family dynamics and personal belonging, but shifts the setting to Scotland’s islands off the coast and focuses on the emotional distance between father and son. The interviews frame “John of John” as a continuation of Stuart’s themes, including how upbringing, belief, and family history shape a person, while also introducing new geographic and cultural details drawn from remote island life.