2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein.

Pages: 192 pages

Length: 1 months (December)

Participants: Valerie, Lorraine

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Hello Valerie. I will start this sometime in the next few days. I have to return it by December 4th. Fortunately, it is short!

Ok probably I’ll read this after I finish The Lacuna next week.

I’ve finished Chapters 1 and 2 of The Study of Obedience, and I have to say, I like it so far, even though I’m not entirely sure what it’s about yet. (view spoiler)[ I find myself questioning whether the narrator is a victim or an abuser pretending to be a victim.

At first, she feels like a victim, but sentences like this make me pause: "This attitude presented its own set of problems—namely, that meekness brings out the sadist in people, the atavistic desire to bite at the heels of the runt of the litter. As one writer put it, it’s not the meek who inherit the earth; the meek get kicked in the teeth."

So, is she the meek one—or the sadist?

I’ve tried looking up articles about this book and found some related to its Booker Prize nomination, but they didn’t really clarify things for me. I’m still unsure whether the narrator can be trusted, which adds an intriguing layer to the story. (hide spoiler)]

I’ve read chapters 3, 4, and 5, and I hope to finish the book either today or tomorrow. I’m still a bit confused about the story, but I really enjoy the atmosphere the author has created—it’s eerie, almost creepy, in my opinion.

(view spoiler)[In Chapter 4, there’s a hint that the main character might be Jewish. Is this the first time this detail is mentioned? I think so, but I might have missed it earlier. Is the author suggesting that the character is ostracized because of this, or is it simply because she isn’t a likable person? I’m still unclear on this point.

A sentence like “I was determined I would be left alone at last in this splendid place where my fatal hunger for approval would not get the better of me” makes me wonder if she’s presenting herself as a victim. Hopefully, the final two chapters will shed some light on these questions! (hide spoiler)]

Lorraine wrote: "I’ve finished Chapters 1 and 2 of The Study of Obedience, and I have to say, I like it so far, even though I’m not entirely sure what it’s about yet. I find myself questioning whether the narrator..."
Also read the first two chapters and it is definitely all rather mysterious. The narrator is certainly difficult to get a grip on, so self effacing that she almost seems to be deliberately hiding her true identity by only existing in her relationship to others. All very intriguing and actually quite cleverly compelling for the reader. You want to know more about her, the (apparently claustrophobic) community she grew up in, and the alien place she is now exiled to. I like it so far but it is certainly unsettling and I’m also not sure if we can trust this quite ghostlike narrator.

I finished Study of Obedience yesterday and needed some time to reflect on why I loved it so much. The atmosphere reminded me of I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, though I only gave Reid’s book two stars. Bernstein managed to pull me out of my comfort zone and into a haunting, unsettling environment.

Even though the story isn’t explicitly set in winter, it felt like the perfect book to read during a snowstorm in a cozy chalet—though, of course, I wouldn’t want to be there alone! Ahaha!

(view spoiler)[ By the end, I found myself wondering: had the wheel turned on her? Was she now the torturer of her brother? Did you get that impression too? (hide spoiler)]

Thank you for recommending it! I had it on my TBR list but removed it after seeing some mixed reviews. Now, I’m so glad I decided to read it!

Lorraine wrote: "I’ve read chapters 3, 4, and 5, and I hope to finish the book either today or tomorrow. I’m still a bit confused about the story, but I really enjoy the atmosphere the author has created—it’s eerie..."
Have read to the end of chapter 5 and I agree that the writer has created a really sinister atmosphere - although how much of this is real and how much the perception of the narrator is not entirely clear. There is a hint early in the book that she comes from a Jewish community but it is only in this part that it is made clear. I think that may be deliberate as I think it is only part of why the locals hate her. There is a sense that they see her a a witch so also fear her. Basically she is the stranger/outsider figure that they see as different and so won’t accept. I’m not sure why the brother doesn’t get the same treatment- maybe because he is able to hide his difference. It’s interesting that she has flashes of realising that this gives her some power, if only to frighten them. I’m interested to see how this plays out - with quite a lot of foreboding as I can’t see it ending well. We shall see.

Lorraine wrote: "I finished Study of Obedience yesterday and needed some time to reflect on why I loved it so much. The atmosphere reminded me of I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid, though I only gave Reid’..."
Finished and yes I definitely think the balance of power had switched between her and her brother. I even thought she might be slowly poisoning him with plants but at the very least she is keeping him prisoner and preventing him getting medical help.
I felt this linked to her standing and facing down the townspeople in the church, asserting her right to be.
A strange but engrossing read for me, definitely unsettling and challenging but well worth the effort.