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Publisher's description:
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.

Ed: "I strongly recommend this 230 ebook page contemplative novel about a woman in despair over the futility of her leadership efforts in species conservation and joins a convent in Australia but not as a nun, immersed in work and dialog. And during her time there are visitations...a horde of mice, the remains of a murdered nun, and the return of a local accompanying the remains who was driven from the area decades ago. A study in the quietude of guilt, forgiveness, and connectivity."

Martha: "I was surprised by the power of this seemingly small setting and plot, and the richness embedded in the simplicity of Wood’s writing. I would happily read it again and would thoroughly enjoy discussing with the group."

Lucinda: "I also read the book a year ago and was moved by it. It still lingers. I would gladly read it again and discuss it with the group."

  • A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
  • A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
  • A LOS ANGELES TIMES TOP FIFTEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
  • Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize

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