€15.99
Shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award
Shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year
Shortlisted for the ABIA Award for Literary Fiction
Longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award
‘A beautiful, mature work that does not flinch from life’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘A book about what it means to be good: simply and with great humility, it asks the big questions, leaving the reader feeling kinder, more brave, enlarged’
ANNE ENRIGHT, author of The Wren, The Wren
‘I have rarely been so absorbed by a novel . . . A powerful, generous book’
GUARDIAN
‘Beautiful, strange and otherworldly’
PAULA HAWKINS, bestselling author of A Slow Fire Burning
‘It extends and deepens Wood’s already remarkable achievements as a novelist in powerful and often profound ways’
SATURDAY PAPER
‘Both profound and addictively entertaining. I loved it’
CLARE CHAMBERS, bestselling author of Small Pleasures
‘Extraordinary . . . a stunning work of fiction from a major writer who keeps getting better’
AUSTRALIAN
‘Remarkable . . . I’m still trying to figure out how she pulled it off. The best thing she’s done’
TIM WINTON, author of The Shepherd’s Hut
‘No words can quite convey how much I loved this book’
KAREN JOY FOWLER, author of Booth
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 the Australian outback. 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 signalling 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.
A Sunday Times ‘Best Book for Summer 2021’
A Times, Observer, Independent, Daily Express and Good Housekeeping Book of the Year
‘So great I am struggling to find the words to do it justice . . . Wood is an agonisingly gifted writer. I am now going to read all her other books’
MARIAN KEYES
‘A rare pleasure’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘A perfect, funny, insightful novel about women, friendship and ageing’
NINA STIBBE
‘Glorious . . . Charlotte Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout’
GUARDIAN
‘Riveting’
ELIZABETH DAY
‘Triumphantly brings to life the honest inner lives of women’
INDEPENDENT
‘A lovely, lively, intelligent, funny book’
TESSA HADLEY
Out of stock
A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place she grew up, finding solace in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro. She does not believe in God, doesn’t know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive life almost by accident. As she gradually adjusts to the rhythms of monastic life, she ruminates on her childhood in the nearby town. She finds herself turning again and again to thoughts of her mother, whose early death she can’t forget. Disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signalling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who left the community decades before to minister to deprived women in Thailand – then disappeared, presumed murdered.
Weight | 0.389 kg |
---|---|
Dimensions | 23.2 × 15.2 × 2.8 cm |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Imprint | |
Cover | Paperback |
Pages | 320 |
Language | English |
Edition | Export ed |
Dewey | 823.92 (edition:23) |
Readership | General – Trade / Code: K |
Can’t find the right book, why not give a gift card and let them find that special book.
If we don’t have the book you want, we will do our best to order it for you and often have it in a few days.
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Get notified about new articles