Stone Yard Devotional A Novel
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood is a novel published by Penguin Group on February 11, 2025. This 304-page work explores themes of forgiveness, grief, and the complexities of goodness through the journey of a middle-aged woman who leaves Sydney to seek refuge in a small religious community in rural Australia. Despite her lack of belief in God and unfamiliarity with prayer, she finds herself drawn into this reclusive existence, which becomes increasingly disrupted by a series of unsettling events.
Readers will encounter a narrative that delves into the protagonist’s struggles as she faces a mouse plague, the return of her sister’s remains, and a mysterious visitor from her past. The story is meditative and intricately observed, inviting reflection on the nature of retreat from the world and the lasting impact of grief. Stone Yard Devotional offers a profound exploration of personal and communal challenges, making it a significant addition to contemporary literary fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, a novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be good, from the award-winning author of The Weekend.
“Stone Yard Devotional is as extraordinary as you’ve heard.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post
“An exquisite, wrenching novel of leaving your life behind.” —Lauren Christensen, New York Times
“Meditative (but by no means uneventful).” —New York Times
Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn’t believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident.
But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past.
Meditative, moving, and finely observed, Stone Yard Devotional is a seminal novel from a writer of rare power, exploring what it means to retreat from the world, the true nature of forgiveness, and the sustained effect of grief on the human soul.
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