Up the Creek Book Club
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© 2000 Kathy Craig |
All We Know of Heaven
by Remy Rougeau
May 2003
Synopsis
"In 1973, Paul Seneschal, a shy nineteen-year-old from rural Manitoba, takes refuge from the world behind the wrought iron gates of St. Norbert Abbey. Here he is immersed in an austere, centuries-old culture where silence and prayer are governing forces. Forty monks grow their own food, wake at three in the morning to pray, and converse largely through a spare but expressive vocabulary of hand signals. As Brother Antoine, Paul strives for wisdom and holiness, learning poverty; chastity; and obedience. But life within the cloister can't block out all of humanity's foibles. One monk lapses into pyromania; another, a French Canadian, attacks any English speaker who gets too close; still another looks like 'a bald Martha Ray.'"
"Amid a daily routine that meshes worship with hard work, Brother Antoine's preconceived ideas of holiness fade as he finds himself progressing along a crooked road to enlightenment. He comes to realize that the most mundane occurrences reveal the divine at least as often as they conceal it." (Publisher)
Reviews
- "This appealing novel by a born storyteller allows us to enter the odd but very human hamlet of a monastery. Readers who would never consider a monastic life will appreciate the book's humane wisdom, recognizing that a true vocation is hard to discern, and that we are often saved by those who would seem least able to help us. I recommend the book also because it contains the best cemetery story in recent fiction." (Kathleen Norris)
- "With generous and resonant prose, Rougeau takes us so deeply into the unadorned sensual work of this rural monastery that we - like our passionate protagonist, Brother Antoine - find ourselves in the quiet, constant presence of the ethereal. This is a deeply wise and uplifting book." (Andre Dubus III)
- "Remy Rougeau's first novel is luminous. The prose is simple and refined; the images ring clear; every word matters." (Marche Hershman)
Book Club Rating and Comments
If you or your book club has read this book and would like to share your comments, please email us at upthecreekbc@yahoo.com.
Other Books by Remy Rougeau
- 'The Diary of a Country Priest'