All We Know of Heaven

"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."--BOOK JACKET.

"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