'In this House of Brede' by Rumer Godden

This extraordinarily sensitive and insightful portrait of religious life centers on Philippa Talbot, a highly successful professional woman who leaves her life among the London elite to join a cloistered Benedictine community.

MY THOUGHTS:

I saw this book recommendation from other bloggers and Rumer Godden's name stirred good memories from decades ago, when I read some of her books for kids. But I never expected this story to sweep me into its rich world of devotion so thoroughly. In her intro, Phyllis Tickle calls it, 'the most accessible, accurate and sympathetic presentation of a monastic life in all of English literature.' I guess I'm surely not the only girl who ever wondered what it might have been like to be a nun. This story is like immersing ourselves among those women who feel truly called to be set apart for God. 

The pivotal character is Philippa Talbot, a corporation head who announces to her staff that she's dropping it all to make a major life change. She's going to become a Benedictine nun at Brede Abbey. Some of the long established nuns at Brede have misgivings that she's not cut from the right cloth. Compared with their fresh intake of other novices, Philippa is fairly old, streetwise and familiar with the sweet taste of worldly success. To put it in Star Wars terms, she's the Anakin Skywalker of the Abbey. But Philippa proves she's more successful at becoming a Benedictine nun than he was at being a Jedi Knight. And paradoxically, success is all about forgetting such a word even exists, and just immersing herself in the atmosphere of devotion and routine.  

To mention just a couple of the other great characters, there's beautiful young Sister Cecily, whose overbearing mother and ex-boyfriend Larry are set hard against her choice of vocation. And Abbess Catherine, who is reluctantly assigned head position when the more charismatic and popular Abbess Hester, who was something of a pocket rocket, suddenly dies. Poor Abbess Catherine discovers a shocking secret Abbess Hester hid behind their backs, and now she'll be the one to bear the brunt of the consequences.   

These assorted ladies are living the pattern of life prescribed centuries ago by Saint Benedict. It's an ever-turning wheel of prayer, praise and work. The daily liturgy or Office is the main thing, and other work fills the cracks between, rather than vice versa.   

I anticipated a book of fascinating revelation, because such spartan and repetitive lifestyles must have a huge pay-off, so to speak, and I wanted to dig to the bottom of it. But it turns out that's just the wrong approach to take for anyone really called to join their ranks. The women living beneath the roof of Brede Abbey know full well that anyone who enters with the idea of getting something out of it is bound to fail, but that itself is the prize they're after. Brede is a bubble that's free of the ambition and self-aggrandisement that wears us out in the world at large. 

The nuns' life is obviously not suitable for many. You have to opt out of several great milestones that confer fulfillment and identity, including spouses, kids and property. You also get singled out as an extremist or oddity. But in return, your interior life has room to flourish. You needn't worry about keeping up with the Jones', and even the minutiae of daily chores is taken off your hands. Your calendar is so structured that you need never waste time wondering what activity to prioritise on any given day. The seasons pass for you in a rich, meaningful cycle. You don't vie for pats on the back, because standing out as a noteworthy person is an unworthy goal. Therefore, you can shed the stress of accumulating followers, admirers and fans. Your role in the community is fluid enough that you're spared from the burden of earning yourself a special reputation. And the angst that others put into keeping up appearances simply isn't an issue for you.

'The veil, the habit, our cut hair under the cap, are meant for self-effacement. We need to be free of the preoccupations with self that plague other women, which is precisely why we did away with the time-consuming frills.' 

In our western world we're conditioned to think staying on the treadmill is an obligation we owe ourselves, so it rarely dawns on us that this is the source of the stress and anxiety that often seems to dog our steps. But for those brave enough to jump off, there's tranquility, deep peace and continuity. 'The life of the great monasteries flow as steadily as a river, no matter what rocks and crosscurrents there are.' Even though I certainly never had this calling, I can see how Philippa and her companions represent some aspect of the seeker in all of us.That's why this book is playing on my mind long after I've finished it. I love exploring the restfulness which comes when people are able to drop the striving to be somebody special or to make a name for ourselves.  

However, this novel shows that sudden changes can come from out of the blue, even in such a lifestyle. It's a restful book but also an interesting page turner. It'll surely be among my best reads of the year. 

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