All We Know of Heaven: A Novel - Softcover

Rougeau, Remy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0618219226 ISBN 13: 9780618219223

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2002

Synopsis

With "careful prose and a tone of humble striving" (New York Times Book Review), this revelatory first novel by a cloistered monk traces a young man's search for wisdom among the inhabitants of a Cistercian monastery. In 1973, Paul Seneschal, a shy nineteen-year-old from rural Manitoba, takes flight from the world behind the wrought iron gates of St. Norbert Abbey. Here 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. Renamed Brother Antoine, Paul strives for wisdom and holiness, yet 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; another resembles "a bald Martha Ray." We soon see that even in this rarefied realm, human folly nestles cheek by jowl with the divine. A wise yet refreshingly humorous account of a life of faith, ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN offers an a fascinating glimpse into a quiet world that very few people know about.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"With generous and resonant prose, Rougeau takes us so deeply into the unadorned snsual work of this rural monastery that we - like our passionate protagonist, Brother Antoine - find ourselves in the quiet, constant pressence of the ethereal. This is a deeply wise and uplifting book." --Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog

"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, author of The Cloister Walk

"This is a poignant, eye-opening book, written so stunningly that the reader regrets having arrived at the last page." --Brother Benet Tvedten, author of The View from a Monastery

"Remy Rougeau's first novel is luminous. The prose is simple and refined; the images ring clear; every word matters." --Marche Hershman, author of Speak to Me: Grief, Love, and What Endures and Tales of the Master Race

"A superbly written story of one young man's search for God and meaning. Rougeau is a gifted and generous writer." --Brother James Stephen Behrens, author of Memories of Grace: Portraits from a Monastery

"With the precise beauty of an illumination, Rougeau shows a worldly innocent learning how to become - and be - a monk. Earthy and uplifting, this novel is also a lovingly funny guide to honoring the living and the dead." --Alexandra Marshall, author of Something Borrowed

"A view of the monastic life that's steady, whole, intelligent, and moving." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Remy Rougeau is a cloistered monk living in the Upper Midwest. He holds an MFA from Emerson College and has published parts of this novel in the Atlantic Monthly and elsewhere.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0618219226
• ISBN 13: 9780618219223
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240