The Incendiaries

R.O. Kwon’s debut knocked me sideways. The Incendiaries is a serious reckoning with the problem of fanaticism and the violence of blind devotion. The story of Will and Phoebe is told with an extraordinarily smart and soulful style. I was amazed at how perfectly Kwon’s spare language fit her novel’s expansive scope. A stunning portrait of what faith can do and undo, The Incendiaries will delight and disturb. But, most of all, it will impress.

A slim, unsparing book about obsession in all its forms. R.O. Kwon puts you into the head of Will, who attempts to come to terms with the truths of his heady relationship with Phoebe, a fellow student whose guilt over her mother’s death puts her in the path of a religious cult. I was enthralled by this book; I was infuriated by this book. I will not soon forget this book.