The Incendiaries - Softcover

Kwon, R. O.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0349011885 ISBN 13: 9780349011882

Publisher: Virago, 2019

Synopsis

'Absolutely electric' Garth Greenwell

'A major talent' Financial Times

'Reminiscent of Donna Tartt's The Secret History' New Yorker

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall fall in love at university.

Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn't tell anyone she blames herself for her mother's recent death.

Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transfers from Bible college.

But a charismatic former student draws Phoebe into his cult - an extremist group with secretive ties to North Korea. When the group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, discovering how far we can go when we lose what we love.

'An important new writer' The Times

'R. O. Kwon is the real deal' Lauren Groff

About this title

About the Author

R. O. Kwon is the author of the bestselling novel The Incendiaries, which was named a best book of the year by more than forty publications and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award. With Garth Greenwell, Kwon coedited the bestselling Kink, a New York Times Notable Book. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, New York Times, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere. Born in Seoul, Kwon has lived most of her life in the United States.

From the Back Cover

'A God-haunted, willful, strange book written with a kind of savage elegance. I've said it before, but now I'll shout it from the rooftops: R. O. Kwon is the real deal' Lauren Groff

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet in their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn't tell anyone she blames herself for her mother's recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transferred from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.
Grieving and guilt-ridden, Phoebe is drawn into a secretive cult tied to North Korea, founded by a charismatic former student with an enigmatic past. When the group commits violent acts in the name of faith, Will finds himself struggling to confront a new version of the fanaticism he's worked so hard to escape. Haunting and powerful, The Incendiaries is a fractured love story and a brilliant look at the mind of extremists.
'Kwon is always in total control . . . a startlingly assured book by an important new writer' Guardian
'A pulsating, hypnotic debut novel . . . packs a disruptive charge, and introduces RO Kwon as a major talent' Financial Times
'Spare, scalpel-like writing . . . utterly convincing' The Times
'A stunning debut' Marie Clare
'Impressive, assured . . . Kwon has viral things to say' Jenny Offill

Edition details

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0349011885
• ISBN 13: 9780349011882
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224