When I began this book, I was intrigued by the enigmatic speaker. I would think I had figured out who (or what?) this character was, and then my theory would be either destroyed or complicated by the character's inscrutable diction. The intrigue I started the book with was soon replaced by frustration that "inscrutable" was turning to "obfuscation." With nothing to grab on to as far as development of plot, character, and even setting, Frustration turned to boredom. I quit reading when I was maybe a third of the way into the book.

DNF @ 35%

It’s tough to put this aside as it is a Canadian author and I do try to read more local (or at least country) authors as I can. I just don’t have it in me right now to get into a book of this literary caliber.

This is a book that could be discussed and dissected in a high literature class. It’s got all of the over written stylings, metaphors, and descriptions of feelings (literally paragraphs of them) that make it a slow methodical read. Study of Obedience may very well be a great read; but to get it the end will cost too much time and effort for me right now. I will keep it in mind as a future read when I’m in a mood or headspace to possibly enjoy it.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Late to the party on this one... but have you ever read a book and part way through it thought, "...perhaps I'm not actually intelligent enough to understand this book?" Study For Obedience was that book for me. I just finished it, and while I can recognize it was a beautifully crafted story from a gifted writer, I'm also not entirely sure what happened in the book. I didn't get it on a foundational level. It was so vague - open to so much personal interpretation - and I am not okay with that. I have questions. I need answers. I like that the big picture takeaway was there - but so much felt unreliable, haphazard, coincidental, or lacking clarity and my brain is a little buzzy trying to piece it all together, questioning what really occurred. Perhaps the magic of that is that this book will probably linger, taking up too much space in my head, but as a reader I feel dumb - incomplete and dissatisfied.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for and early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think that this one went over my head a little bit. It was literary, sure, and really leaned into a stream of consciousness that was easy to get swept away in. I kept forgetting what time period this was set in and how I was supposed to feel about the narrator, which might account for how flat the narrative fell for me in the end.

3 stars.

3.5 Stars

This novel won the 2023 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. For its paperback release, I was given the opportunity to review it.

The narrator, an unnamed woman, moves to an unnamed northern country to become the housekeeper for her eldest brother. Though her ancestors came from this rural region, she doesn’t speak the language. She tries to become part of the community, but she’s treated with suspicion and is blamed for a number of unfortunate events involving animals.

Anyone looking for a dramatic plot should look elsewhere because this book is basically plotless. Little happens other than what I just described. Though there is no overt violence, there is tension. Early on she mentions, “it would have been only one behaviour among many others, truthfully or falsely reported, that would later be held against me.” Once her brother leaves on a business trip, she becomes very isolated, especially because she cannot communicate with anyone. And then the villagers become increasingly suspicious of her.

There is also tension in the fact that the narrator may be unreliable. We are given only her thoughts so there is no way of judging the accuracy of her description of events. For instance, there’s the epigraph: “I can turn the tables and do as I want. I can make women stronger. I can make them obedient and murderous at the same time.” And the narrator muses “Who knew . . . what one might be capable of” and “my obedience had itself
taken on a kind of mysterious power” which she feels she “ought to have begun putting it to use. Was an intervention possible?”

Likewise, the ending is ambiguous and leaves the reader with a lot of questions. Readers looking for closure will definitely be frustrated because it is very unclear as to exactly what happens.

The narrator is not a likeable character. She is compliant and meek and quiet, living to serve others. Her goal seems to be to erase herself; from childhood, “I determined to eradicate my pride and my will.” She suffers from a martyr complex, sacrificing her life for others and accepting blame needlessly. So often I wanted to scream at her to stand up for herself, especially in her dealings with her demanding brother.

I can only describe this as a complex and difficult book. The style is almost stream-of-consciousness with run-on sentences and lengthy paragraphs, some so dense as to be impenetrable. Is the author being intentionally humorous by inserting “to make a long story short” in this sentence: “The Department of Agricultural Affairs and its associate authorities had, to make a long story short, given notice to the keepers of domestic fowl that there had been an outbreak of avian flu in one of the neighbouring nations, a nation which had been, at intervals, ally and enemy, occupier and liberator, and that, as a precautionary measure and for an unspecified length of time, all domestic birds, including but not limited to chickens, geese, pigeons, ducks, etcetera, would have to be protected from their wild sisters and brothers, either in coops or in barns, in runs or in homes.” There is no dialogue but there are all sorts of digressions. For instance, at one point the narrator wonders “about the lives of cabbages, their hearts and their vitality.” The formal and elegant prose uses erudite vocabulary like ascesis and aestival. Reading this book requires the reader’s full attention and even then I find that the meaning gets lost because of the excessive wordiness.

There’s a vagueness to the novel. For example, none of the characters are given a name – except for a dog. The country is not named and even the time period is uncertain. There are references to the internet, Twitter and Microsoft Teams, but the villagers seem to live in the past. I imagine the indeterminate setting is to emphasize a universal theme.

In some ways, this is an allegory about anti-Semitism. The narrator gradually reveals her Jewish background and the historical struggles of her people. Reference is made to the phrase “none was too many” and the Holocaust. She even mentions common anti-Semitic stereotypes like the fact that she was always made treasurer of organizations because of her ethnic background. But of course intolerance, bigotry and hostility are directed towards anyone who is different and therefore an outsider because of skin colour, religious beliefs, ethnic background, etc.

What also struck me is the gender dynamics. The narrator is a product of her upbringing which featured her eldest brother taking a particular interest in educating his sister. He told her that she erred in “entertaining the idea that it was reasonable for me to form my own judgements about the world, about the people in it.” He also told her that she had “to reorient all my desires in the service of another, that was the most I should expect to achieve.” When she moves in with him, he decides what she must do and she acquiesces because she has been taught to be subservient and submissive, even though her opinion of men is not high: “they were constitutionally incapable of being alone, terrified of not being admired, and seemed to regard ageing and its effects as a personal failing.”

One cannot but admire the writer’s innovative use of language but the book’s complexity and its unrelenting bleakness do not make it an enjoyable read. Some will undoubtedly find it downright inaccessible. I’m certain I missed a great deal, but I’m not motivated to re-read it at this time. I would need to complete a study for patience first!

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for access to the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not for mass media and I found it excruciating to read. I can see this as an academic exercise, of dissecting prose and meaning, but I have little patience for that as a casual reader. Sentences run on and thoughts meander and I don't know what the meaning of it all was.

The complex yet lyrical prose in this beautifully written book is a bit of a barrier for the reader. Although this style might work well with poetry, I think a more straightforward approach is best for novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for access to the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I have no idea what I just read. This book is not for the mainstream reader. The premise looked good rom reading the synopsis. However the reading was arduous.

The Booker Prize often tries to introduce works of fiction that are extraordinary how they use form, style, and language to explore their themes in new and exciting ways. Great winners and listed novels that showcase this include the legendary MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN and more recent classics like A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS, MILKMAN and DUCKS, NEWBURYPORT. When novels take chances and push boundaries they will not always work for all readers. Unfortunately, the one Canadian-esque entry in this year's longlist did not work for me.

STUDY OF OBEDIENCE is told from the perspective of an unnamed woman who unquestionably abandons in her life at her brother's behest after his marriage has failed. She moves to a new country, where she doesn't speak the language, where she acts a near servant to her brother's whims, and she suspects the locals despise her and blame her for a run of bad fortunes.

Told without dialogue, in an almost stream of consciousness of insular thought of a protagonist possibly suffering from delusional paranoia, Bernstein's writing shines at times in its beauty and insight. But for the most part I found myself bored, distracted by the minutiae of detail, that lacked the kind of energy and hook I hope to get from experimental writing. I understand the desire to avoid over expository prose but sometimes you need some more expess writing to bring a reader in, especially in relatively plotless storytelling.

I know others have enjoyed this more, but for me it just didn't work.

This book was so lyrical that it almost reminds me of poetry. I could almost hear the protagonist’s voice throughout. I enjoyed it but will admit that I don’t think I fully understood it. The book atmosphere reminded me of something by Shirley Jackson (lots of We Have Always Lived in the Castle vibes). I later read that the author was reading a lot of Jackson while writing this book. I think I may need to read it again to understand it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc of this book.

I struggled mightily to understand what was happening in this book, and it seems like I wasn't alone. The reader has a pointed feeling of being unmoored or unrooted in what is truly happening in the short novel, with sparse writing and a difficulty pinpointing the setting (obscured destinations and origin cities - though some have suggested Romania as the locale and that was how I chose to read it). Despite feeling like I just "didn't get it" after finishing, I did end up giving the short novel a second read (as recommended by the excellent official Booker Prize podcast hosts) and picked up on more details with a closer reading. You may choose to do the same since it's a fairly quick read!

I had a hard time following this one. Like, I’d be following along with the story, and then the narrator would go off on these tangents and I would have no idea what she was talking about and where it was going. Thankfully it was a quick read or I don’t think I would have stuck with

This book is definitely a thought provoking read, so I understand why it won so many prizes. Its not my typical read but definitely one I will keep thinking about.

In "Study for Obedience," Sarah Bernstein is one of the most exciting voices in Canadian fiction. The story follows a young woman who moves from her birthplace to a remote northern country of her forebears to become the housekeeper for her brother, recently abandoned by his wife. Shortly after her arrival, a series of bizarre events begin to unfold—a collective bovine hysteria, the demise of a ewe and her nearly born lamb, a local dog’s phantom pregnancy, and a potato blight. The local community, already suspicious of newcomers, directs their growing hostility toward her, creating an ominous tension that feels like it is pressing at the edges of her brother’s property. The novel's strength lies in its rich, atmospheric writing that draws the reader into a world where every detail feels charged with meaning. Overall, "Study for Obedience" is a finely tuned, unsettling novel that showcases Sarah Bernstein's exceptional talent.

Thank you to Knopf Canada and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. This review reflects my honest opinion.

This wasn't the book for me. It seemed more like a book to dissect in English class than to enjoy. The prose was unnecessarily long and often times unintelligible. It will take a specific type of person and multiple passes to truly appreciate this book.

Absolutely loved this book. The slow burn eerie feeling that kept building. The writing is enigmatic and beautiful. Sometimes sections needed re reading as it was so beautifully written. I highly recommend this book if you like you fiction like an enigmatic, eerie puzzle. I read a NetGalley version of this book.

this is meaner than I sometimes get in reviews, but I found this deeply frustrating to read. It seemed like the language and style were hiding the fact that the ideas being explored were, while important, quite basic. Universal is good, but fancying themes up so they seem more complex and intellectual rather than exploring the heart of them is a pet peeve of mine. this may be because I also have a family history of genocide and have sought out and read a lot of literature with similar themes, but this felt like well-trod ground with little more to add, inflated only by the language used to deliver it.

I've read many better, more nuanced reckonings with generational trauma and oppression and better blends of horror and literary fiction.

more of a 3.5. short but slightly difficult to read (in a good way) because the prose is so lyrical and poetic. beautiful imagery and quite strange, makes you think a lot and wonder at the end what happened. elements of Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House, Women Talking by Miriam Toews, and Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh. still not sure how reliable the narrator actually is.

This book was quite a trip. It takes commitment to get through the way its written. The narration is in the form of a rambling stream of consciousness. Sometimes I'd lose focus because some paragraphs were pages long. It took so much concentration that I had to backtrack quite frequently.

This is not a book for the masses. I think if you're more of a fan of literary fiction then you might enjoy this. It went over my head at times.

The writing is beautiful and at times stunning. But, it was also repetitive and meandering. The characters and town were never named and I think that impacted how much I connected with them.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an early copy of Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein

perfect short length and absolutely stunning writing. This was a joy to read - I really enjoyed my time with this one and am not at all surprised this was nominated