The Gift of Stones

"The Gift of Stones" is a 1989 novel by British author Jim Crace. The novel, written in poetic language, takes place at the end of the Neolithic period, and is narrated by the village storyteller and his "daughter".

The novel evokes the Neolithic period without giving in to the temptation to speculate on the significance of Neolithic stone circle; in fact, religion is almost completely absent from the lives of the down-to-earth stonemasons.

Plot summary

As a boy, the storyteller lost an arm and became an outcast to the villagers who rely heavily on their stonemasonry skills. The boy leaves the confines of the village, in order to seek a role for himself, and discovers his adeptness at telling stories.

The storyteller returns to the village, but most of his time is spent acting as a protector for a widow and her child who had also been forced out of the village, and live two days' walk away. Periodically, he returns to the village charged with new stories to tell.

The novel deals with the nature of truth and fiction. We are often presented with variations of the narrative and invited to judge which, if any, we accept as reality. It also deals with social change and the effects of revolutionary new technology and as such could be seen as sympathising with the victims of our modern post-industrial age.