Synopses & Reviews
The thought of him was irresistible, a mystery. It made her feel beautiful. And, while it lasted, it gave her a glimpse of paradise.
A once bustling convent in the south of France is closing, leaving behind three elderly nuns. Forced for the first time to confront the community that she betrayed decades ago, one of those nuns, Sister Bernard, struggles to reconcile her uncertain faith with the passionate, impulsive actions of her youth.
The young Sister Bernard is slow-witted, dreamy, and tormented by the voice of a judgemental God. Only when one of the young Nazi soldiers starts showing her attention is she given a reprieve from Gods voice. Soon she is meeting him in secret and breaking her vow of chastity with disturbing ease. Illicit love leads her into a far worse betrayal, one she fully understands only when it is too late, and a horror that endures in the memories of the villagers in the decades that follow.
With an elegant, devastatingly effective style, this story of one womans forbidden love, uncertain faith, and guilt-ridden past is told in alternating vignettes, bridging her imminent, present-day reckoning with the complex emotions behind her misdeeds of the past.
Review
“An intense and powerful story. . . . Wartime stories and nuns tales are common enough but Obedience manages to be something different. [It] is a tightly written study of betrayal, faith, loneliness and desire. The coolness and restraint of her prose seems ideally suited to the storys setting and its themes.”
—New Zealand Herald Library Journal
Review
“An intensely imagined novel . . . thought-provoking.”
—Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prizewinning author of Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel
Review
“Yallops exploration of the space between innocence and guilt, of complicity and delusion has a lingering power.”
—Kirkus Reviews Midwest Book Review
Review
“Is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of faith and its reconciliation with imperfect humanity. . . . So engrossing that readers will experience a range of emotions as the tragic circumstances shaping Bernards life are revealed.”
—Library Journal Booklist
Review
“Christine Williams . . . mov[es] smoothly between the past and present. Her . . . compassionate delivery is a perfect match for this novel.”
—AudioFile
Review
“Is utterly compelling to the very end.”
—Midwest Book Review
Review
“Williams matches the languid pace with a soft and precise reading infused with a delicate yet harrowing intensity. . . . A mesmerizing audio, a testament to the disturbing power of the story.”
—Booklist
Synopsis
A nun in the fading days of her life is forced to confront the betrayal—to God, to her community, to herself—that she committed as a young nun living in Nazi-occupied France.
About the Author
CHRISTINE WILLIAMS mesmerized audiences as a lead actor for the world-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 8 years, and she has also sung with the Rogue Opera. She currently teaches singing to actors and acting to singers at SOU, and narrates fiction and nonfiction audiobooks, with a special fondness for character work. On weekends, she loves to hike to mountaintops, and, if it gets too cold, she can make fire with sticks.JACQUELINE YALLOP, is the author of Kissing Alice, shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize. Obedience is her American debut. Formerly curator of the John Ruskin Museum in Sheffield, England, she now lives in the south of France.