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Maxwell's Reviews > Study for Obedience
Study for Obedience
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This book feels brilliant and I am just not smart enough to get it on a first reading. I definitely think it would reward revisiting, I just don't feel like doing so at this time. But it's short, so maybe someday I will and I can see more of the threads of what she is doing here. On a sentence level, I was baffled and amazed by the writing. It's complex and demands attention but is also very rewarding and satisfying to read. The plot was minimal and the ending was confounding (it gave me Pew by Catherine Lacey vibes at times). I need to keep thinking about this one and can't wait for our book club to read it to hopefully give me more insight!
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Study for Obedience.
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Reading Progress
September 10, 2023
– Shelved
September 10, 2023
– Shelved as:
to-read
September 13, 2023
– Shelved as:
library
September 18, 2023
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Started Reading
September 18, 2023
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23.56%
"I LOVE this so far what the heck the writing is so good. It’s giving Cusk & Moshfegh vibes. Idk what I was expecting based on the vague description. But this is amazing and I’m only 2 chapters in. The Booker is delivering this year!!"
page
49
September 18, 2023
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54.33%
"Such strange but engrossing writing. It does take me some time to process what she says sometimes but it’s enjoyable to work it out. This feels like a book worth re-reading even."
page
113
September 19, 2023
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Finished Reading
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Beth
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Sep 22, 2023 10:22AM
Interested to hear your review after some time with it.
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You are much more generous with this one than I was!
I also thought of Pew! Very similar trajectory and minimalistic style, but Pew was one of my favourite books last year and this one isn't quite hitting for me. Feel similar re: the Shirley Jackson comparisons � whilst there are overt similarities to We Have Always Lived In The Castle, I think my struggle with Study for Obedience was that I couldn't find anything with heart to hold onto. There was plenty of unease and some beautiful insights but the closest thing I felt to warmth was the relationship with Burt, and the aching muscles after a day of farmwork. I I found the tension didn't pay off without a real sense of our unreliable narrator having any clear (or obscure?) motive or anything to lose. I feel similarly about Ottessa Moshfegh's work. I agree that it warrants a re-read; maybe some of the subtleties are clearer on second look? I'm also curious about how the book resonates for members of the Jewish diaspora; I come from a refugee background and didn't feel any connection to that aspect of the story, but am not Jewish myself so I'm interested!
Perhaps you are smart enough, but the text isn’t clear.
