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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
This novel slowed me down a bit, because of the language and depth of what it was trying to convey. In various ways it paints a picture of many difficult things: loss, faith, radicalism, and interpersonal and religious possession. Some of the complex themes explored here include the juxtaposition of how we present ourselves to the world and how people see us; the ways that we seek to fill in the holes that remain after we lose something dear (a person, religion, or sense of belonging); of fanaticism and how in some cases it is not because of loyalty, but in search of other answers. This book was unsettling because it was a narrow perspective on how a person became radicalized, but it is also unsettling because of how the story is told. All character perspectives are filtered through one person, and that person doesn’t invite sympathy – especially after doing something heinous. It made me wonder why I was so drawn to the story, even when at times I wasn’t comfortable with the subject matter. I’ve left that up to the author’s lyrical expertise – her writing is articulate and introspective, her story curious and gripping.
I love flowery prose so this was right up my alley. Thought-provoking and absolutely captivating.
I received a copy via a Goodreads giveaway and man am I glad I didn't actually buy the book!
My biggest issue is the overall lack of plot -I mean the bombing doesn't really "happen" until page 170.... the book is 210 pages long! Another huge thing that bothered me was the writing. It gave details to things I didn't need and jumped from describing the scene to a memory to dialogue all within the same paragraph and the dialogue was never in quotes which made things even worse. The characters were also pretty flat and unlikable, mainly Will who was WAY too obsessed with almost kinda sorta manic pixie girl-esque Phoebe. Like the dude sniffed her lip balm at one point and there was that random time he was following a girl home in Beijing and thought nothing was wrong with that. I also had some issues with how the Lisle rape"side plot" was handled (bet most of you readers forgot about that chick!). It was only mentioned 3 times and each time was MAYBE a small paragraph just casually mentioning it and then I guess it was included to give Phoebe some extra grieving material I didn't feel like it was at all necessary and while college kids getting raped by their peers is a harsh reality that topic isn't something that should just be thrown in there with no discussion about it being had.
Another huge disappointment came with the cult which like everything else in this book was lackluster. I mean I didn't think a cult could be boring but damn was this cult boring! Even though we technically get Phoebe and the cult leader's POV chapters they're each only a page or two and full of nothing. Phoebe talks about her childhood and the leader spouts some religious-like bullshit that makes no sense and didn't add anything except to make him sound "culty". The majority of the book was with Will who never really got into the cult he just watched/obsessed over Phoebe and while at one point he did try to join the cult as a means to "save" Phoebe that didn't go anywhere.
Between flat yet still unlikable characters, a plot that was max 10 pages which was rushed at the end, and a writing style I just could not get into I was left more than a little disappointed. I get the feeling that the main takeaway from this book was supposed to be a religious one but I can't really say what it's supposed to be. All I learned was that a short book can still be a slow read and that cults can in fact be boring.
My biggest issue is the overall lack of plot -I mean the bombing doesn't really "happen" until page 170.... the book is 210 pages long! Another huge thing that bothered me was the writing. It gave details to things I didn't need and jumped from describing the scene to a memory to dialogue all within the same paragraph and the dialogue was never in quotes which made things even worse. The characters were also pretty flat and unlikable, mainly Will who was WAY too obsessed with almost kinda sorta manic pixie girl-esque Phoebe. Like the dude sniffed her lip balm at one point and there was that random time he was following a girl home in Beijing and thought nothing was wrong with that. I also had some issues with how the Lisle rape"side plot" was handled (bet most of you readers forgot about that chick!). It was only mentioned 3 times and each time was MAYBE a small paragraph just casually mentioning it and then I guess it was included to give Phoebe some extra grieving material
Spoiler
as if dead mom wasn't enoughAnother huge disappointment came with the cult which like everything else in this book was lackluster. I mean I didn't think a cult could be boring but damn was this cult boring! Even though we technically get Phoebe and the cult leader's POV chapters they're each only a page or two and full of nothing. Phoebe talks about her childhood and the leader spouts some religious-like bullshit that makes no sense and didn't add anything except to make him sound "culty". The majority of the book was with Will who never really got into the cult he just watched/obsessed over Phoebe and while at one point he did try to join the cult as a means to "save" Phoebe that didn't go anywhere.
Between flat yet still unlikable characters, a plot that was max 10 pages which was rushed at the end, and a writing style I just could not get into I was left more than a little disappointed. I get the feeling that the main takeaway from this book was supposed to be a religious one but I can't really say what it's supposed to be. All I learned was that a short book can still be a slow read and that cults can in fact be boring.
R. O. Kwon's The Incendiaries is both delicate and ruthless, dreamily written and destructive. It is about the obliterating intensity of first love, and the intoxicating lure of religious fanaticism; it is about grief and self-destruction and the desperate fight to reclaim what has been lost. At its core, however, this novel is about lies: those we tell others and those we tell ourselves.
The Incendiaries follows its three main characters, Will, Phoebe, and the impenetrable John Leal. Will is a sensitive, disciplined college student who seeks to fill the "God-shaped hole" left in his life from the loss of his Christian faith. At a party, Will meets Phoebe, who shines at the center of the college social scene, but conceals beneath her bright affectation a deep turmoil over the recent death of her mother, for which she blames herself. John Leal is a predator in the form of a religious cult leader, who sees Phoebe's vulnerability and targets her as a prized member of his group, Jejah. While Phoebe falls under the spell of John Leal, intoxicated by the promise of an escape from her pain, Will falls inexorably for Phoebe. Both young people desperately seek to fill the holes in their lives wrecked by loss, and in doing so are consumed by the enchanting and destructive powers of love and faith.
At the center of this book is a love story, but it is not for the deeply sentimental or romantic. From the onset, Phoebe and Will's relationship is disrupted by lies and evasions. Always Will's perspective, looking back from an indeterminate future point, hints at an inevitable doom. Rather than give us resounding lessons, Kwon leaves her readers with the same sense of confusion and desperation that haunts her characters. But what is valuable about this book is not its definitive answers, but its amazing perspective. In the shifting, reaching voice of Will, we see what it means to lose the central driving force of one's life. We see lost and floundering people ruining each other out of pure desperation to make their pain go away, to lose themselves in something expansive: obsessive love or religious fanaticism.
Ultimately, there is no "truth" in this book--only faith, and then the staggering loss of it.
The Incendiaries follows its three main characters, Will, Phoebe, and the impenetrable John Leal. Will is a sensitive, disciplined college student who seeks to fill the "God-shaped hole" left in his life from the loss of his Christian faith. At a party, Will meets Phoebe, who shines at the center of the college social scene, but conceals beneath her bright affectation a deep turmoil over the recent death of her mother, for which she blames herself. John Leal is a predator in the form of a religious cult leader, who sees Phoebe's vulnerability and targets her as a prized member of his group, Jejah. While Phoebe falls under the spell of John Leal, intoxicated by the promise of an escape from her pain, Will falls inexorably for Phoebe. Both young people desperately seek to fill the holes in their lives wrecked by loss, and in doing so are consumed by the enchanting and destructive powers of love and faith.
At the center of this book is a love story, but it is not for the deeply sentimental or romantic. From the onset, Phoebe and Will's relationship is disrupted by lies and evasions. Always Will's perspective, looking back from an indeterminate future point, hints at an inevitable doom. Rather than give us resounding lessons, Kwon leaves her readers with the same sense of confusion and desperation that haunts her characters. But what is valuable about this book is not its definitive answers, but its amazing perspective. In the shifting, reaching voice of Will, we see what it means to lose the central driving force of one's life. We see lost and floundering people ruining each other out of pure desperation to make their pain go away, to lose themselves in something expansive: obsessive love or religious fanaticism.
Ultimately, there is no "truth" in this book--only faith, and then the staggering loss of it.
Perhaps a few less unnecessary words and this could be a short story. I felt the characters were developed unevenly and I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to appreciate about this book or its purpose. Do read it and let me know your thoughts.
Tbh hated it. Don’t really understand the point of it and didn’t like the writing
Writing that is both flowery and sparse. A lot of complicated issues and a story that is both fast moving and contemplative. Kwan has a great handle on keeping her characters compelling and morally grey.
For the first third of this book, I didn’t think I liked I’d much. The writing seemed pretentious when it was just writing about college students in ~love~. I was disappointed, as books about cults usually fascinate me and I’d heard great things about the writing. Normal college kids just don’t think the way Will supposedly did.
However, I loved the writing once we moved past the initial setup. The loss of religion is a theme I relate closely to, and I’d never seen it explored in a novel before- and it explored it well. Kwon’s thoughts on grief, the need to believe in something, and Will’s obsessive love of Phoebe took me on a ride I’m not sure I was ready for- but damn, was it powerful.
Also, I have to say- I hate Will, ESPECIALLY after ~that~ scene, but I think he was written extraordinarily.
3.5/5.
CW: rape, suicide, drug use (minor)
However, I loved the writing once we moved past the initial setup. The loss of religion is a theme I relate closely to, and I’d never seen it explored in a novel before- and it explored it well. Kwon’s thoughts on grief, the need to believe in something, and Will’s obsessive love of Phoebe took me on a ride I’m not sure I was ready for- but damn, was it powerful.
Also, I have to say- I hate Will, ESPECIALLY after ~that~ scene, but I think he was written extraordinarily.
3.5/5.
CW: rape, suicide, drug use (minor)
An interesting plot, told from the POVs of Phoebe, a South Korean young woman, her boyfriend Will and the mysterious John Leal who may (or may not) have been in a North Korean gulag who becomes a cult leader on a US college campus.
The narrative is led from Will’s POV which is the most interesting part of the novel. The chapters from the other two characters are brief and disjointed, which means the reader feels like a bystander to the main events of the novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.
The narrative is led from Will’s POV which is the most interesting part of the novel. The chapters from the other two characters are brief and disjointed, which means the reader feels like a bystander to the main events of the novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.