Title: Obstetrix
Author: Naomi Kritzer
Narrator: Jennifer Pickens
Genre: Dystopian, Thriller, Horror
Format: Audiobook (ALC)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5★)
Release Date: June 9, 2026
Synopsis
Dr. Liz has just been acquitted after performing what may have been the last legal abortion in North Dakota. With her career in limbo and job prospects dwindling, she reluctantly agrees to meet a potential employer offering a new opportunity.
Instead, she's kidnapped.
Liz wakes up inside a secluded religious compound where she quickly learns why she was taken: the community desperately needs an OB/GYN.
Cut off from the outside world and surrounded by increasingly extreme beliefs, Liz is forced to care for the women and girls living there while searching for a way to escape. But the longer she stays, the more disturbing the reality of the compound becomes.
My Thoughts
This may have been a relatively short audiobook, but it was one of the most compelling listens I've had in quite some time.
As the blurb says, Dr. Liz has just been acquitted after a highly controversial lawsuit involving an abortion she performed. Finding work afterward proves difficult, and when she receives what appears to be a promising job opportunity, she hopes it might be the fresh start she needs.
Instead, she gets kidnapped.
Liz wakes up inside a remote religious compound where she quickly discovers the reason she was taken: the cult desperately needs an OB/GYN.
From that moment on, she is forced to care for the women and girls living there while also serving as a general physician for the rest of the community. The compound functions almost entirely cut off from the outside world. Phones, books, and outside influences have gradually disappeared, and the group's beliefs have become increasingly radical over time.
Even though Liz is treated respectfully because of her medical expertise, she understands very quickly that she is still a prisoner.
And things become even more disturbing when she realizes that girls as young as fourteen and fifteen are being forced into marriages and pregnancies.
What made this story work so well for me wasn't just the premise itself, but how believable it felt.
The compound isn't portrayed as some over-the-top horror movie cult. Instead, we see a community that has become isolated over time, where harmful practices have slowly become normalized. Many of the people living there don't know any other life, which somehow makes the situation even more unsettling.
I found myself completely invested in Liz's story from beginning to end.
She's intelligent, compassionate, resourceful, and determined to help the people around her, even while desperately trying to find a way out herself. I spent most of the audiobook rooting for her and hoping she'd somehow manage to escape.
The story also raises some uncomfortable but important questions about bodily autonomy, control, religion, and power. While those themes are certainly present throughout the book, they never overwhelmed the story itself. At its core, this remains a tense, engaging thriller that kept me hooked from beginning to end.
The audiobook narration by Jennifer Pickens was fantastic as well. She brought Liz's voice to life beautifully and made an already engaging story even more immersive.
Honestly, I don't really have any complaints.
My only disappointment is that I wanted more once it was over. I would happily read a sequel following Dr. Liz or even an epilogue showing where life takes her after the events of this book.
Final Thoughts
Obstetrix is a gripping, unsettling and incredibly timely novella that manages to pack a remarkable amount of story into a relatively short runtime.
With a compelling protagonist, a chillingly believable setting, and excellent narration, this ended up being one of my favorite audiobook experiences of the year so far.
If you enjoy dystopian fiction, thought-provoking thrillers, or stories featuring resilient protagonists facing impossible situations, I highly recommend giving this one a try.
ALC Disclaimer
Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for providing the ALC widget, and thank you to Naomi Kritzer for such a compelling story. All opinions are my own. 📚🎧✨
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