The book is structured as a journal. Quiet and introspective, it is the story of a woman who leaves her life as a wildlife conservationist and wife to find peace and solace at an Abbey. She is not religious, but is drawn to the simple life of the order. Throughout the book the narrator explores her memories. Her mother, her school, her marriage and friendships are examined. Many passages are interesting some are not. Most are tinged with regret. Much of the book focuses on a mouse plague that torments the sisters at the Abbey. Hundreds of mice are killed in various ways and buried. Another thread is a return of a murdered sister's bones. Perhaps there is no peace to be found. I felt the book was a little too dark for me. I was reminded at times of Sigred Nunez, who is one of my favorite writers. While the writing was strong, what I missed in this book was a glimmer of levity or hope.

This is a stream-of-consciousness contemplative novel so may not appeal to everyone, but I found it worthwhile. The narrator, who remains unnamed, is probably in her late 50's. She has never successfully with her grief over losing her parents long ago. She decides to stay as a guest in a small abbey in Western Australia near the town where she lived as a child. In joining the Sisters in their worship, she finds things from her childhood surfacing in her mind. She recognizes Richard, a neighbor, from her high school days. She remembers her mother, father and close friend's deaths. 'There is a most horrific description of a plague of mice that invade every corner of the Abby. You will need a strong stomach to read some of this.

Helen Parry, another person from her long-ago childhood whom she has wronged, arrives from Thailand with the bones of a murdered Sister, missing for years. What perhaps surprised me the most came at the very end. The narrator describes an unusual reaction she has to crises that she has never told anyone about. I have the same reaction to extreme stress and I've never told anyone about it either.

This is a beautifully written book rich in description, and it was a worthy choice for the Booker Prize finals, though it did not win. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this fine book.

“Stone Yard Devotional” was the last book I read from the 2024 Booker Prize Shortlist. MY FAVORITE!!!!
I’ve read it twice….equally rewarding both times. I’ll read it again.
It’s a rare find—both tender and profound— and utterly wonderful….
….quiet, reflective, and intimate.
Even to see nature revealed with such unflinching precision stood out for me….and that’s not all. Many themes, universal themes, issues, and vehemency are explored with resonance and meaningfulness—with brilliant storytelling skill.
Ethical, spiritual, religious and moral quandaries are explored ……as well as love, loss, grief, guilt, and forgiveness. (best portrayal of forgiveness I’ve read in years).
The beauty and emotional integrity of the writing is exquisite—I felt it in my core. The book was ‘also’ an invitation to sit with one’s own thoughts, memories, and emotions.

This powerful novel, intertwines, passion, and mourning. In an unlikely setting—in a small religious monastery community, an unnamed middle aged woman (not religious herself) — comes to retreat.
“I had a need, an animal need, to find a place I had never been, but which was still, in some undeniable way, my home”.

Our protagonists parents were both deceased and her marriage was failing. She thinks about her mother - awakening thoughts - more than her father, husband, or friends.
About her mother, whom she remembers loving being in the garden more than the house…saving scraps for the compost…
She says:
“I never knew anyone else who had her reverence for the Earth itself”.
“My mother said that anything that had once spent alive should go back to the soil”.

There is more - much more….the nuns, other guests and their stories, (even a tale about the remains of a murdered nun), daily routines, memories of being a past bully, climate change, capitalism, services, faith, good & evil concepts, including a plague of mice infestation.

Again….my favorite book on the Booker Shortlist….and absolutely one of the best books of the year.
The prose is simple and understated, but the insights are complex.
Charlotte Wood knows how to make a story build…..(shimmering us with psychological precision), then leave us with a satisfying thoughtful ending.

Highly recommended 5 strong stars