Obedience: A Novel

By Jacqueline Yallop

Set in contemporary and World War II France, this is the story of Sister Bernard: her forbidden love, her uncertain faith, and her guilt- ridden past.

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, Sister Bernard relives her life during the war.

At thirty, Sister Bernard can hear the voice of God-strident, furious, and personal. When a young Nazi soldier, a member of the German occupying forces, asks her to meet him in the church in secret one evening, she agrees. And so begins the horrifying and passionate love affair that will deafen the heavens and define her life, tempting her into duplicity. Obedience is a powerful exploration of one woman's struggle to reconcile her aching need to be loved with her fear of God's wrath.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Jan 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781101559765

Jacqueline Yallop

Jacqueline Yallop is the author of three critically acclaimed novels and three works of non-fiction. She lives in West Wales and teaches creative writing at the University of Aberystwyth.

Reviews for Obedience

[pdebolt_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sister Bernard, a young nun in a French convent during WWII, falls for a German soldier who is billeted nearby. It is difficult to know if Sister Bernard is capable of rational thinking; however, in the hope of keeping the German soldier interested, she betrays not only her vows, but the secrets of the Resistance movement. This novel moves between her past memories and the present day reality of having to leave the convent when she is in her 90s. There is a poignancy to this novel when the reader is allowed to see the consequences of Sister Bernard's long-ago decisions and heartbreak. I found it thought provoking and an interesting view of convent life.

[karynwhite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this novel well-written, interesting and thought-provoking. I think the novel is about naivety, the abuse of power (the Nazi occupying forces, Mother Catherine, Corrine), one's faith and guilt.I felt empathy for Sister Bernard. She was used by other characters for their own gain and then shunned by various groups. She is portrayed as a naive and lonely character. I liked the way the novel went from past to present to slowly reveal different parts of Sister Bernard's life. I really enjoyed the symbolism of Sister Bernard losing God's voice from her head.I do recommend this novel.

[ladyknowledge · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It is difficult to determine the target market for this story.Being non-religious, I found the relentless trope of a nagging peevish god that shadows Sister Bernard tedious and off-putting. The story is exceedingly slow to take off and Yallop seems to have difficulty carrying off telling the story of Sister Bernard's present when it is her past that might have made her interesting. The euphemistic descriptions of Bernard's passion for the solider seem intended to force the reader to focus on the nun's present, where she is still being punished for the transgressions of her youth. Bernard is depicted as a stupid person, without any real allegiance except to herself. She appears oblivious to the vows she made to become a nun and casually betrays her community and the village where she grew up to the occupying forces. She never fully accepts responsibility for anything; neither leaving the convent for love, nor giving up that love for the convent. The characters are insipid, and for the most part petty. Bernard is a sad figure, surrounded by self-righteous and vindictive people. No one cares about her (including the reader!) and, ultimately, the only solace she finds is in her memories of what might have been. Religious readers will find her fall from grace objectionable, and non religious readers will find her piety and devotion tedious and incomprehensible.