Hurley’s debut is a breathtaking performance, portraying not just the ugly corners of an abusive relationship but also how faith can color the contours of our lives. With absolutely spot-on descriptions of Boston, this spellbinding story adds much-needed nuance to the discussion of faith and what we’re willing to forsake in the name of absolution. Yes, the master is creepy and manipulative, but that’s almost beside the point. Even if Nicole could eventually break free, she would only be treating the symptoms and not the disease. That is the real horror.
The scenes shift fluidly over and over again from the current timeline to adolescent memories and reflections on koans (Zen Buddhist riddles). Nicole’s answers to her New York friend’s questions take the story back in time to a cross-country road trip, teenaged fumbling on a basement couch, or the temple room of an Asian art exhibit. They’re admissions, confessions, and Hurley has a remarkably deft manner of overlapping different points in Nicole’s life from one paragraph to another. By the end of the book, you’ll have gone through several crucial events in the lead character’s life without feeling disoriented by the speed at which it happens ... Hurley breathes life into winter nights in the Common, into the run-down apartment buildings near Boston University, into the kitschy streets of central Waltham ... each sidewalk in her childhood home resonates with her memories ... Her struggle could not be simpler and more complicated at once: what do you do when you meet the Buddha on the road? ... The Devoted is a personal journey ... Hurley leaves you thinking and sorting through feelings long after her final page.
Hurley's outstanding first novel tells an engrossing tale about a young woman seeking a spirituality that can only be found within herself. It also speaks to the motivations of those around her—some love her, some use her for their own needs, and others are too selfish to consider her desires at all ... All lovers of great fiction with complex characters as well as anyone fascinated by narratives about religious cults will want this insightful story.
...capitivating ... [an] intimate, fluid debut ... The beauty of The Devoted lies in its intricate descriptions of religion’s hush and ritual ... One breathes deeper reading these passages, in all their tender generosity — but we’re not allowed to linger. Hurley’s quick to remind us of religion’s ugliest traits, too: its intolerance, partition and patriarchy ... Hurley balances the heavy plot points, allowing them to converse rather than overcomplicate. Ultimately this is a novel as tender and fervent as a prayer.
The once vivacious women at the center of both novels [The Devoted and R.O. Kwon's The Incendiaries] become marionettes in the hands of men. Their vulnerability can be frustrating. Neither Kwon nor Hurley provides a particularly compelling portrait of the figures who lead them astray. They never entice—they only abuse. The reader is left wondering why two complex female characters would succumb not only to their loved ones, but also to mere sketches of evil ... a terrifying but insightful warning not to look for easy answers offered by false prophets. That impulse is all the more dangerous in a political era when voters choose to read news that reflects their own myopic views–and vote for politicians who forgo nuance and promise the impossible.
Though her master makes a point of distancing himself from the patriarchal structure and rules of Catholicism, Nicole—who once wanted to be a nun and who rebelled against a strictly religious mother—is drawn to his firm commands. Even when she wants most fervently to escape him, her body responds to his voice ... Not quite a spiritual thriller but a thoughtful exploration of faith, surrender, and ecstasy.
...quietly chilling ... Nicole’s spiritual journey is realistically convoluted, and Hurley subtly brings out the parallels between the potential for sexual abuse in Buddhism and Catholicism. This thoughtful novel carefully untangles the often knotty interconnection between romantic and religious love, revealing the dangers inherent in each without denying their value.
