All We Know of Heaven

by Remy Rougeau

This revelatory novel by a cloistered monk traces a young man's search for wisdom among the inhabitants of a Cistercian monastery of strict observance. In simple prose full of striking imagery, "All We Know of Heaven" brilliantly brings to life a rarefied realm where human folly nestles cheek by jowl with the divine.

Genres: Fiction, Religion, Canada, Novels, Christianity, Spirituality, Modern

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember so much of this book! Sometimes, many times, when the monks sang, their music was average, mundane, but now and then, the sounds they made came together to make a very moving spiritual experience. That is how church music is! There is much to be learned in this book about getting along day to day with others, even if he annoys you with weird behavior! I am not at all surprised it was voted Los Angeles Times Best Book of the year.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a story but a fascinating look at Cistercian life by a former Cistercian now Benedictine monk. Well written, a gentle look at a life devoted to work prayer and quiet. It was not surprise that a cloistered life does not exempt one the same doubts that hinders those of us in the "real" world but it was a revelation to me that one's relationships are just as complicated in the silent world of the monastery as mine are. The young man who enters the religious life before age 20 was well drawn but my favorite character was his crusty mother who was not at all happy with his choice but came to accept it in the end.

[Isaiah Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot say enough about this book. It's an intimate look into the Cistercian monastic life, and more generally, into the consecrated life. Powerful and wonderful insights from a man who lives the life!

[Brian Want · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.0 stars). I'm unsure what it is about monasteries that fascinates me. Maybe a shard of my lapsed Catholicism remains lodged, embedded in something resembling a soul. But I may just be drawn to the way simplicity and complexity seem woven together in monastic life, the profound and the mundane ever informing each other. At least that's what I think this book captures: how rhythms and rituals reconcile the things that disrupt, unsettle, or confuse them.

Presented chronologically but in episodes, this novel follows a young French Canadian as he joins a Cistercian (Trappist) abbey in Manitoba and progresses from postulant to novice to full member of the community. Quietly evocative and with gentle humor, the novel presents a cast of eccentric monks operating a working farm that sounds grittily bucolic, down-at-the-heels but homey. Our young monk, Brother Antoine, exchanges his idealism for moments of insight, bits of confidence, and an emergent sense of purpose. So in this way it's like many coming-of-age novels, and the monastery is a yet another place for negotiating and renegotiating one's understanding of weighty themes like time, obligation, goodness, and death.

I did find Antoine's psychology to be a little fuzzy and under-elucidated at times. Knowing this was written by a monk and that it must be partly (if not largely) autobiographical, I wonder if that was merely the product of an author trying to run interference between his own self and the protagonist. A little more illumination of Antoine's interiority might have enriched the book. That said, it might also have detracted from the impressionistic sensibilities that I found disarming and resonant. Flowers growing through the rib cage of a belovedly wayward dead cow, for instance.

At the end of the day, I think the book succeeds in suggesting how living can become more intuitive and how meaning can coalesce, not through grand plans but rather through small everyday commitments, through steadiness amid unsteadiness.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the cloistered life. I find the idea of separating oneself from the outside world and devoting oneself to prayer and holiness in the pursuit of God very beautiful. All We Know of Heaven gives readers a glimpse into the lives of monks in a Cistercian monastery of the Strict Obedience. While there were instances of sacred moments and spiritual experiences, on the whole it seemed the author was focusing more on the quirks and personalities of the monks. It was almost as if he was trying to show that they are not all that different from the rest of us, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Each of us have our own moral battles and temptations. My issue was that the character flaws of many of the monks were simply accepted rather than struggled against. Several were grumpy and seemingly bitter. One was even a pyromaniac bent on destruction. Instead of being addressed by the Abbott or fellow monks, it was shrugged off as “well, that’s just the way they are”. I couldn’t help thinking how these undisputed defects contradict what monastic life is supposed to produce in the individual. I was further disheartened when realizing it was likely a realistic portrayal as the author is a monk himself. Needless to say, it was not the story I was hoping for. A much better novel concerning the cloistered life is Lying Awake by Mark Salzman.

[Shellie Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top 10 favorites. Very funny

[T. C. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will treasure this book on my bookcase; it helped me process some difficult things through its storytelling. Reading this book is like the first time you realize that your parents or teachers are not the infallible people you believed them to be when you were a small child—that they, too, are all too human, processing human emotions and trying to make their way through the world while deciphering the meaning of life.

Likewise, this book reveals that those who enter the religious life, the contemplative life, are also all too human (and even imperfect or damaged), despite our removed, outsider perspective of a formulated, perceived, idealized, God-called, hyper-spiritualized conception of what religious life is like.

It is through this imperfection that grace is found, love is discovered in mysterious places, acceptance and understanding of others informs our appreciation of creation. (What is also found—a lot of humor!!) A tour de force that could only have been written by someone on the inside who knows and has experienced the contemplative life...

Sometimes you have to catch the snippets of wisdom that permeate this book, but they are there in summation at various points in each chapter:

"'Monastic life becomes dulls with routine. Every monk becomes weary after a while. It's a phase. And meanwhile it ought to remind you that a real monk is not necessarily someone who obeys, much less someone who is merely celibate. The real monk is someone who freely turns to prayer, and prefers it to many things.'"

[describing how superstitions differ from culture-to-culture]: "'...[W]hite for us is black for them. Which really means that [divine] signs are relative and we shouldn't take them too seriously.'"

"When he was a postulant, an immaculate faith was what he wanted, something that never wavered. But nowadays he knew that such a faith only meant freedom from doubt, a place where decisions are no longer necessary. He had wanted to dwell in the light of a faith with clearly defined boundaries, where right and wrong were obvious, where certainty was a comfort. But none of it had come to pass. Instead, he had felt drawn, again and again, from truism to surprise, from wonderment to faith—if faith it was—a sort of faith that dwells in darkness..."

[Chuckles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel, but it reads so much like non-fiction I still wonder where the line is drawn. The author was a Cistercian monk himself for six years, and when he wrote the novel he was Benedictine (with an MFA from Emerson, it shows in the writing). Regardless, I was interested in learning about monastic life after reading some other novels which featured such characters and this jumped out at me at the bookstore in the early 2000's.

The story follows a young man who joins a Cistercian order in Canada. I appreciated the descriptions of the strict lifestyle the monks of the abbey follow, the focus on prayer, fueled by work, the atmosphere of silence. But its as the little things, like their use of hand signals to maintain that silent atmosphere (rather than a vow specifically of silence) and the funny and interesting relationships that develop. We see the now Brother Antoine mature as he realizes nothing magical is going to happen to him in the abbey, he will achieve what he wants only through effort and there will be mistakes and lapses along the way. His family visits were interesting scenes, something I really didn't consider, and they seem to include the levels of normalcy and awkwardness I would expect real visits from parents whose hearts probably broke for their child when he told them of his plan. These scenes reflect that feeling without going into unrealistic melodrama one might expect for a fictional story.

Which again, makes me think much of this novel is taken from the author's own six years with the Cistercians, it all feels not just authentic, but real, like he consciously made an effort to not add drama just to make the story more interesting. The interest lies in the real transformation you see Paul/Antoine go through.

[Dan Charnas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing peek into the cloistered life of Brother Antoine, a young monk: his first experiences, his relationships with his peers and his superiors, his work and prayer routines, his acclimation to the enforced silences, and his reasons for choosing that life.

Rougeau successfully conveys the potential for serenity, simplicity, and gentleness in this type of daily life, but he certainly does not gloss over the complexity of its many psychological and physical challenges.

I had to remind myself numerous times that I was reading a novel rather than a biographical piece, but then I'd remember that Rougeau himself is a monk. Who'd be able to write so very realistically about a monk's life other than a monk?

I enjoyed my time with this book.

[Jackie Caguiat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book close to to 20 years ago as it was the book club selection of the month. It was my one and only time I participated in a book club. I remember enjoying the book, so I picked it up again to see if it is as I remembered. I was pleasantly transported into another world that is not my own. Parts of the book were recognizable and I looked forward to being re-introduced to the various monks and their quirky habits. The book provides insight into a lifestyle I may never understand and I admire the men and women who have this calling and strong faith. The stories within remind me we are all human and no one person is better on the inside though it may appear so on the outside. Very entertaining.

[Geo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rougeau takes me into a world that I have a hard time visualizing. The spiritual struggles of a teenager are so far from my experience as an 80 year old at the other end of one’s life. I am reminded of the microcosm as a literary motif as in the ship for Moby Dick, or in cinema’s the Poseidon adventure. The monastery itself, being self-contained, by turning its back on the cares of the external world provides an interesting pathway into examination of the human heart and all its complexity. This read was like the vicariously experienced Ethiopia of Cutting for Stone…..a place I’m glad to have visited, but one where I don’t want permanent residency.

[Katherine Van Halst · Rating 4 out of 5]

All We Know of Heaven is a relaxing slice of life. A young man joins the monastery for a sense of purpose, and ends up slowly developing a much more robust sense of self. Life and death wash over the monks over the course of repetitive but illuminating days that turn to months and years.
This was a nice book to read as a break after some more intense stuff.
I recommend it to readers who liked The Story of Jane by Catherine Cusset, and the Friday Night Club by Sofia Lundberg.

[Reuven · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most authentic books about monistic life in a Trappist monastery in Canada 50 years ago. This is probably also because the author, who is himself a monk, incorporated many of his own experiences into the book. The novel also addresses the protagonist's homosexuality and the integration of his disposition into his life as a Trappist. I have now read the book for the second time and enjoyed it very much!

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fictional glimpse into life of a Cistercian monk (silent order) in Manitoba Canada. It got better as it went along. I was looking more for the spiritual awakening, challenges, moments but this was more about living in community and what it takes to run a monastery. Still, it was interesting and I'm glad I read it. Great characters.

[Christina Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite. I also read this right after reading "In This House of Brede," so the comparison may be why my rating is low. It just didn't have the depth of Brede or the character development. I also feel like some loose ends should have been tied up before it ended, but it has been a while since I read it.

[Margarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start but interesting and edifying in the end. It’s something to think of living in silence. And also interesting to see the variety of personalities, not even most of them seeming particularly religious or spiritual, who chose this life.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel about a young man who joins a monastery in Canada in the early 1970s. There is little direct writing about God and spirituality. It is more about how he finds what he is looking for in the mundane.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

a look inside a Cistercian abbey in Winnipeg, Canada, and both the ordinary and dramatic things in the lives of the monks.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever thought of joining a cloister, this book gives a good sense of what it is like.

[Marc Mendoza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice little read too help boost yourself. Nice little insight to a monks life and possibly what goes thru a younger monk's mind.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

My method of choosing books to read is usually to scan the "recently published" section of the library shelf for something interesting. I wound up taking out this book twice. The first time, I got halfway through, was bored, and brought it back. It didn't seem familiar the second time until I got it home and was reading it. Annoyed, I made myself finish it and I had a much different appreciation for it the second time around.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel by a monk about monks was fun to read, mildly interesting and mildly amusing. It is also baffling: surely a young man who becomes a monk has an out-of-the-ordinary relationship with God? There is no hint of that relationship in this account; even later, as the monk matures and grows more fulfilled in his work at the monastery, God seems almost an after-thought.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps it's just my location in life right now but the idea of being a monk who works on a farm and leaves the chaos of the outside world behind sounds appealing to me. This book reminded me that often when we slow down and get still, we find God and grace.

[annakatrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprisingly touching and funny--i had no idea before moving to the country how much i would covet the silence portrayed in this book.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sort of "coming of age" novel about a Trappist monk, written by a monk. It's about experiencing God in ordinary and extraordinary ways. I liked it.

[Vicki Halphide · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but wanted more. A little slow and dull.

[Cheryl S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unusual book with surprising humor which I enjoyed a lot even though the story ended abruptly.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far so good.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young Cistercian monk's coming to terms with the mundaneness of monastic spirituality (a series of meditations, really, without sufficient dramatic continuity).

[Maure Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly delightful !