A review by khopeisz
Sweet Days of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy

3.75

I was not engaged with the relationship between the narrator and Frédérique, and I think before picking this one up, readers should anticipate their relationship as being almost incidental. What really intrigued me was this constant obsession with death and the idea that these girls are not their own but are extensions of their parents and forebears. That this resentment plagues the narrator’s mind makes sense, as she states that, despite living thru the war, the best years of her life were wasted in and out of boarding schools, her life dictated by missives from her (i suspect N*zi) mother and overseen by detached figures. The result of this is, in my opinion, a feeling that the narrator feels close to the grave, leadened by the shadows of generational input—she and the other girls may as well have been dead already. Frédérique, perhaps with her willingness to accept and thus transcend this discipline, fascinates her. This is what conclusion I’m coming to. Don’t expect Miss Fleur to hop on a podcast anytime soon lol.

That all being said, I’m glad I read Proleterka first and familiarized with the authors recurring themes and her stark writing style. I did enjoy Proleterka more though.