A Single Stone

The village became isolated during a rockfall caused long ago, so the villagers are told, by men. They have been told that there is nothing on the other side of the mountain. They are alone. A group of women known as the Mothers lead the village. 

For the people of the village to survive a team of seven young girls must find their way into the mountain and gather pieces of mica - a blue stone that provides light and warmth for the villagers in the winter. The harvested stone is given to the Mothers who distribute quantities to families depending on a set formula. Families of girls who work on the line in the mountain receive special privileges.

In order to locate the required stone the girls must manoeuvre themselves through narrow cracks and bends in the rocks. Therefore only the smallest, thinnest girls are chosen for this work. This is dangerous task but when a girl is chosen it is an honour for the family. Babies selected at birth as potential candidates spend the early years of their lives bound tightly to restrict their growth and their food intake is limited. This is accepted as normal procedure by the villagers. If a girl grows too big she can no longer work in the mountain.

Jena is fourteen and the current leader of the girls who work in the mountain. Like the others she does not question the life she leads or the decisions made by the Mothers. Then one day she makes a discovery that causes her to question all that she has been told. Should she keep the information to herself or should she make the information available to the other villagers?

The novel reveals the story in layers. We have Jena's story of her life and what she is thinking. Then there are sections when Jena remembers her early life with her father. The third layer introduces us to another girl, Lia, who also explores part of the mountain.

The mountain and its stone features strongly throughout the novel. The villagers are reminded of the power of the mountain by their leaders and believe that the mountain will decide their destiny. When on their quest for the mica, the girls are careful not to unnecessarily disturb the stones. Throughout the novel the reader is shown the special significance stones have for the villagers - symbols in burials, Lia's blue stone. However when a stone is removed towards the end of the book it not only causes destruction but the opportunity for something new.

The themes in A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay include power, the environment and personal identity as well as conformity, belief systems, manipulation and what happens when belief systems are challenged. There are many references to the role of nature throughout the novel, especially birds. There are lots of opportunities for discussion. A Single Stone is a novel studied in year 9 this year.