A Cry of Stone
A novel by Michael O'Brien
Read an excerpt from this book.
In this novel, Michael O’Brien explores the true meaning of poverty of spirit. Loosely based on the real lives of a number of native North Americans, A Cry of Stone is the fictional account of the life of a native artist, Rose Wâbos. Abandoned as an infant, Rose is raised by her grandmother, Oldmary Wâbos, in the remotest regions of the northern Ontario wilderness. The story covers a period from 1940 to 1973, chronicling Rose’s growth to womanhood, her discovery of art, her moving out into the world of cities and sophisticated cultural circles. Above all it is the story of a soul who is granted little of human strengths and resources, yet who strives to love in all circumstances. As she searches for the ultimate meaning of her life, she changes the lives of many people whom she meets along the way.
O’Brien takes the reader deep into the heart of a “small” person. There he uncovers the beauty and struggles of a soul who wants only to create, to help others to see what she sees. The story also explores the complex lies and false images, the ambitions and posturing that dominate much of contemporary culture, and shows how these have contributed to a loss of our understanding of the sacredness of each human life.
Once again, Michael O’Brien beautifully demonstrates that no matter how insignificant a person may be in the world’s eyes, marvels and mysteries are to be found in everyone. His central character, Rose, is among the despised and rejected of the earth, yet her life bears witness to the greatness in man, and to his eternal destiny.
“A Cry of Stone by Michael O’Brien is a delightful maze of interest. After reading it through, I re-read it again. It is inspiring, educational, and tests the sense of understanding. Altogether a good read!”
, Native Canadian poet,
Winner, Governor General’s Prize for Literature
Reviews and Endorsements
“Michael D. O’Brien is a major talent, one of the brightest lights in the Catholic literary firmament. His latest novel, A Cry of Stone, makes for disturbing reading at times. This is as it should be. We live in disturbing times and O’Brien’s narrative strips the gloss from the demonic reality of our heedless and hedonistic age. Few writers of fiction unveil this paradoxical Presence in Absence better than O’Brien.”
, Author, Tolkien: Man and Myth
“Like O’Brien’s other novels, this book has the same perception, empathy and style; the same importance of subject; the same intense need to tell a story and tell it so very well. Fans will be delighted to continue their relationship, newcomers will be delighted to discover this remarkable voice.”
, Author, The Man Who Was Chesterton
“A Cry of Stone by Michael O’Brien is a delightful maze of interest. After reading it through, I re-read it again. It is inspiring, educational, and tests the sense of understanding. Altogether a good read!”
, Native Canadian poet, Winner, Governor General’s Prize for Literature
“O’Brien is a painter as well as a novelist, and his unlikely heroine — an Indian girl, Rose, with a twisted spine, is a painter too. Endowed with the ability to get inside the souls of her subjects, she reveals the grandeur of painting from past ages and attacks the barren spirit of the modern age. O’Brien has chosen a broad canvas with complex themes and plots.”
Professor of English, St. Michael’s College, Toronto