Context: I would like to talk about how a book questions the reader's traditional, conservative values about family structures. I want to say we are introduced to a shared household wherein there isn't a typical nuclear family structure, the children are not trained in table manners and everything is loud, lively and disorganised. This contrasts the presumed reader (at the time)'s traditional beliefs that a house should have a nuclear family, children should be taught table manners, etc.
The sentence I want to say is, "The reader is positioned to feel [insert word], as their beliefs are subverted and challenged."
Words I've tried so far:
- Unsettled
- Uneasy
- Disturbed
These are the closest words I could find but I feel like they have a more negative association, and creates a malaise in the reader. I feel that the effect of the book is more subtle and just lightly 'shocks' the reader, positioning them to just take notice of their preconceived beliefs, rather than evoke a negative reaction.
- Destabilise
- Bewildered
These words suggest that the representation of these households are completely weird and confusing, however, that is not the case. It's not so weird that a reader wouldn't comprehend it, these households are just different to the mainstream households.
Source for definitions: Google dictionary
