The Stone Carvers

The Stone Carvers is a novel by Canadian author Jane Urquhart, first published in 2001. It follows three generations of a Canadian family, beginning in 19th-century Ontario as two German immigrants, a wood carver and a priest, set out to establish the first church in an isolated town. The story then explores future generations of the family, culminating in the lives of the wood carver’s grandchildren in the early 1900s, and how the horrors of World War I affect the family. Centering around real events in Canadian history, including the building of the Vimy Memorial in France honoring Canadian troops, the book explores themes of family, memory, legacy, sacrifice, and the redemptive value of making art. Critically acclaimed for its vivid, detailed look at Canadian history and its well-drawn characters, The Stone Carvers was a finalist for both the Governor General’s Award and the Giller Prize, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

The Stone Carvers is divided into three parts, each focusing on a different generation. Part one, “The Needle and the Chisel,” takes place in the mid-19th century, as Father Gstir is sent from Bavaria to Canada to minister to the small German-Catholic community. He settles in a small farming town named Shoneval, set in Ontario Valley, and decides that he’ll build a stone church with a bell. He is helped by Joseph Becker, a master woodcarver. The story then shifts to the 1930s, as the reader is introduced to a middle-aged spinster named Klara who lives alone in Shoneval.

The narrative then shifts again to when Klara and her brother Tilman are growing up as children. They are revealed as the grandchildren of Joseph Becker, who tries to teach his grandson the art of woodcarving. However, Tilman isn’t enthusiastic about learning the slow, methodical craft. He’s a boy filled with wanderlust and never stays in the same place for long. By the time he’s twelve, he runs away frequently, and his mother is overcome with stress. She even tries tying him down but it doesn’t work for long. Tilman eventually leaves Shoneval for good. Klara, by contrast, is eager to learn carving, as well as needlework from her mother. As a girl, Klara falls in love with a quiet boy from an Irish family, Eamon O’Sullivan. Their romance is brief, as Eamon enlists in the First World War as a pilot, with dreams of returning home a hero. He’s soon reported as missing in action. Klara is devastated, and she shuts herself away from any possibility of romance. This is how she becomes a spinster.



Part two, “The Road,” catches up with Tilman. After leaving home, he spends several years hitchhiking and hopping trains as a hobo. He finds an ally in a tramp named Refuto, with a dark secret - he left home after a tragic accident that resulted in the death of his brother. He’s stayed away from home, fearing that his family will never forgive him for his role in his brother’s death. However, he eventually decides to try to return home and make amends. Tilman accompanies him to the Italian district in Hamilton. There, he meets Refuto’s son Giorgio and befriends him. He even lives with the Italian family for a while. However, war soon comes and Tilman chooses to enlist. He’s shipped out to the trenches of France. Shot in the leg at the battle of Vimy Ridge, he’s discharged and shipped back home to Canada after his leg is amputated.

The third part, “The Monument,” begins as Tilman returns to Shoneval, now a man in his forties. Klara had assumed he was dead for years, and now finds out that he’s a veteran of the Great War and lost his leg. Word soon reaches Shoneval about the construction of the Vimy memorial, dedicated to the unknown soldiers of the war, and Klara becomes determined that she and Tilman should return to France to work on it. Although Tilman is reluctant, she wears him down and they travel to France to volunteer, with Klara dressed as a man to get the job. While working on the sculpture, Klara uses Eamon’s face as the model for the torchbearer, who represents all those lost in the war. Although the designer, Walter Allward, is angry at first that Klara altered his design without permission, he is impressed by her carving skills and decides to keep the young man’s face as part of the design. Giorgio is working on the monument as well, and when he and Klara meet they form an instant connection. This is the first time in decades that Klara has opened her heart to love again, and she begins to finally move on from Eamon’s death. Tilman forms a close connection with a wounded French chef, and is finally able to admit that he’s gay. The two men form a tight bond and have sex for the first time. The memorial is completed, and Klara and Tilman return to Canada with their new partners. They both feel like they’re able to turn the page on the horrors of the war at least, and move on towards a new, happier life.

Jane Urquhart is a Canadian novelist and poet, and a member of the Order of Canada. The author of seven acclaimed novels, three books of poetry, and a wide array of short stories, she is the first Canadian to win France’s Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger for Best Foreign Book. A winner of the Trillium Award and the Governor General’s Award, she is one of Canada’s most acclaimed writers.