Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - The Incendiaries

"I ate pain. I swilled tears. If I could take enough in, I'd have no space left to fit my own."

Every so often, I read a book that I just cannot get out of my head. This is certainly one of those books.

Will Kendall transfers to Edwards University after abandoning his fundamentalist Christian beliefs and subsequently, leaving his Bible School behind as well. He meets Phoebe Lin, an infectious and enigmatic young woman who is struggling with guilt after her mother's death. He is immediately drawn to her, and the two embark in a relationship. Things begin to fracture, however, as Phoebe grows closer to John Leal, a charismatic religious leader who Will is unable to trust.

With breathtaking, descriptive prose, R.O. Kwon reveals the ugly, complex side of faith. This story provides the most masterful and nuanced interpretation of religious trauma that I have ever witnessed. Though the story is mainly told from Will's perspective, Phoebe and John also share the narration, although even then, Will acts as a sort of vessel for their stories. While Will provided an interesting and resentful view of religion, it was Phoebe's sections that I looked forward to the most. That said, if you are looking for likable characters, look elsewhere.

Will, who begins the book as an ambiguous, morally gray narrator, becomes utterly irredeemable about 3/4 in. I will admit that after Will's unforgivable act, I was a bit conflicted on the book. In retrospect, as horrific as it was, it does make sense for his character. By the book's end, the most sympathetic character was Phoebe, a five-time murderess and Christian terrorist.

If you're looking for a compelling view of religion through the eyes of three narrators who are all corrupt in different ways, this may be the book for you.

I unfortunately think that the publishers may have failed this novel, because the most common description of the book feels inaccurate and incomplete. The story does not focus on Will's search for Phoebe; that section makes up about 10% of the book at most. The story focuses on the events leading up to the event, and Will witnessing Phoebe's descent into extremism. It focuses on a toxic relationship just as much as it focuses on the dangers associated with religion.

The prose in this novel is some of the best prose I have ever read, alongside Donna Tartt, Scott Heim, and Jeffrey Eugenides. If you don't like descriptive prose, it may not be for you. The best way to explain how gorgeous it can be is to give an example, and the book's final passage is the best example there is. The passage states:

That morning in June, when I'd seen Julian, I went down into the Columbus Circle station. It was loud inside, the platform more crowded than usual. I sighted the source of the tumult: a band of six male dancers, in white latex tights. With bodies liberated from gravity's laws, they swung out of handsprings into lithe spins. More people turned to watch while an express train hurtled in, the gust of wind nudging thin fabric around bare arms and thighs. The wind blew through, until it looked as if the entire population might float up out of the tunnel, cracking through its stone and earth, into the day's hot light. We can all go. No one gets left behind. The world's graves fling open, the giddied, dirt-stained dead rushing toward the streets of gold, alive again, at last. The wind settled. In minutes, the local train arrived. I pushed in, then I kept waiting.

I cannot wait to read everything else Kwon has ever written and will ever write. This book will stick with me for a long, long time.

Content Warnings

mikaelaandherbooks's review

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A very interesting fictional novel that tugs at the conversation of religion versus cult, and has a great mix of mystery/thriller elements to it.

Content Warnings

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This novel is definitely an emotional and visceral read, even on reread. I remembered the overarching plot

in which Will watches then recreates how his girlfriend, Phoebe, became radicalized by a fundamentalist Christian group on the edge of their small college campus, while dealing with his own issues of socioeconomic status and access

but other details didn't come back to me until I started reading again, sharp ones that stuck even more with me this time

like Phoebe slowly watching her mother bleed out after the car accident she caused, or Will raping Phoebe and pushing her finally and fully into Jejah

. It's a hard book because there's no moral clarity or even, really, trustworthy characters

like, maybe Julian, but he's sometimes so unobservant and unsupportive about his friends' struggles, both Liesl's and Phoebe's, that I have a hard time even naming him

. But I love the overall lyricality and hauntedness of how the novel is written and I feel like it's such an unusual and necessary take on trauma, identity, and radicalization among young college students.

Content Warnings

invaderlinz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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