“It is a fascinating study of a spiritual crisis and of the wisdom and experience of monastic life.” —William Rees-Mogg, editor in chief, The Times (of London) “Pierre de Calan’s choice of subject is remarkable not only because it is a profound study of life in a Cistercian monastery, but because he has had no firsthand knowledge as a monk.” —Elizabeth Berridge in the (London) Daily Telegraph Devout, sensitive, young Cosmas believes that he has a vocation to become a Trappist monk, but the reality of monastic life disappoints him deeply. Fellow monks are hard to live with. The life of the monastery seems worldly. He is disheartened by his own shortcomings and appalled by the weaknesses of others. If he can’t live the life, does that mean God isn’t calling him to it? What should he do? Many people—single, married, vowed, ordained—ask these same questions. Pierre de Calan explores them all in this exquisite tale of a man who learns that sanctity does not mean perfection.