John - by Niall Williams (Paperback)

About the Book

A stunning reimagining of the final years in the life of John the Apostle, by the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of This Is Happiness (a Late Show with Stephen Colbert Book Club Pick for November 2025).

Book Synopsis

A stunning reimagining of the final years in the life of John the Apostle, by the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of This Is Happiness (a Late Show with Stephen Colbert Book Club Pick for November 2025).

Aged, frail and blind, John the Apostle lives in exile on the desolate island of Patmos with a small set of his disciples. Together the group has endured their banishment, though fissures are forming within their numbers and even the faithful are plagued with doubts. But when the Roman emperor lifts the banishment of Christians, John and his followers face an even deeper challenge: on their return to Ephesus, they discover a chaotic world of competing religious sects where Christianity is in danger of vanishing.

Ambitious and provocative, John is a powerful look at faith and what it might mean to love for a lifetime.

Review Quotes

"An eloquent and moving statement of the power of love and the belief that it will triumph in the end." --Barry Unsworth, The Guardian

"A cracking good Bible-based novel for those of us who are theologically challenged. If Hollywood producer Cecil B. DeMille (The Ten Commandments) were alive today, he'd be angling for the film rights." --The Montreal Gazette

"Gripping and believable . . . In an age where reason and science have shown themselves inadequate to fulfil the human dream of perfection, it is important that serious writers such as Williams face the perennial questions of faith and love." --The Irish Times

"Powerful and moving . . . an absorbing and intelligent novel." --Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Niall Williams was born in Dublin. He is the author of ten novels, including History of the Rain, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, Four Letters of Love, which will soon be a major motion picture starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Gabriel Byrne, This Is Happiness, which was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Book of the Year and longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize, and his most recent novel, Time of the Child. He lives in Kiltumper in County Clare, Ireland.