Stone Yard Devotional

Charlotte Wood's novel "The Natural Way of Things" is a powerful exploration of forgiveness, grief, and female friendship. It has received critical praise for its boldness, mature writing, and profound insights into the human condition. The book follows a middle-aged woman who returns to a religious community in the Australian outback, where she confronts past tragedies and discovers the complexities of human relationships. "The Natural Way of Things" is a stunning work of fiction that will leave readers deeply moved and inspired.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 07 March 2024
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

The New Novel by the Stella Prize-Winning Author of "The Weekend" and "The Natural Way of Things"

A book of the year for the Sydney Morning Herald and ABC

A fearless exploration of forgiveness, grief, and the complicated beauty of female friendship

A beautiful, mature work that does not flinch from life

SUNDAY TIMES

Both profound and addictively entertaining. I loved it

CLARE CHAMBERS, bestselling author of "Small Pleasures"

A masterful novel of quiet force

GUARDIAN

Beautiful, strange, and otherworldly

PAULA HAWKINS, bestselling author of "A Slow Fire Burning"

The consistently brilliant Wood delivers yet again

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

It's 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"

Magnificent and radical . . . It gripped me from the opening line to the very last

AGE

No words can quite convey how much I loved this book

KAREN JOY FOWLER, author of "Booth"

Extraordinary . . . a stunning work of fiction from a major writer who keeps getting better

AUSTRALIAN

Subtly powerful and utterly engrossing

CLAIRE FULLER, bestselling author of "Unsettled Ground"

It extends and deepens Wood's already remarkable achievements as a novelist in powerful and often profound ways

SATURDAY PAPER

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 that threatens to destroy the community's crops. Then, a young girl arrives, claiming to be the daughter of the community's founder. And finally, a mysterious stranger arrives, offering to help the community in exchange for a rare and powerful artifact.

As the tensions between the characters rise, the woman must confront her own past and the secrets that have been kept from her for years. She must also decide whether to trust the stranger, or to continue to rely on her own instincts and the strength of her community.

"Burnt Out" is a masterful novel of quiet force, exploring the complexities of human relationships and the power of forgiveness. It is a beautiful, mature work that does not flinch from life, and will leave readers feeling both profound and entertained.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399724340