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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
the writing was good and the idea was interesting, but this is a book i think could have benefited from being longer
"Some people needed leading. In or out of the gulag, they craved faith." -The Incendiaries, R.O. Kwon
When Will and Phoebe enroll at Edwards, a prestigious private college filled with preppy trust fund kids, they are both misfits reeling from great loss: Phoebe, of her mother, and Will, of his faith. Despite Will's attempts to reach his troubled girlfriend, their tumultuous relationship gives him a front-row seat to Phoebe's increasing extremism under the sway of charismatic Christian leader John Leal and to the acts of violence brought about in the name of faith.
CW: sexual assault (discussed and depicted), suicide, torture & physical abuse (discussed), domestic terrorism
This slim novel brims with fiery intensity, simmering just under the surface. Kwon doesn't need any more pages to make her point, when she can craft sentences that glow like embers -- on mothers: "Such pains she'd taken, for the little I'd since become." On popularity: "Phoebe, oh I love that girl, people said, but it's possible they all just loved the reflected selves." On power: "I felt seen for what I wanted to be."
It's this last sentence that stuck with me throughout the novel, as I attempted to parse through the delusion of seeing someone else as you wanted them to be and the power of making someone feel as if you saw their true self. How do intelligent, talented, beloved people fall under the power of a cult? I felt Kwon convincingly answers that question. If you don't like books without quotation marks, this is probably not for you, especially since this affect is used to underscore the ambiguity of its narrator and truth itself. There also isn't a whole lot of plot for much of the book, mimicking the speed of Phoebe's devotion: little by little, then all at once. CW: sexual assault. But I felt altogether drawn under this book's spell. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.
When Will and Phoebe enroll at Edwards, a prestigious private college filled with preppy trust fund kids, they are both misfits reeling from great loss: Phoebe, of her mother, and Will, of his faith. Despite Will's attempts to reach his troubled girlfriend, their tumultuous relationship gives him a front-row seat to Phoebe's increasing extremism under the sway of charismatic Christian leader John Leal and to the acts of violence brought about in the name of faith.
CW: sexual assault (discussed and depicted), suicide, torture & physical abuse (discussed), domestic terrorism
This slim novel brims with fiery intensity, simmering just under the surface. Kwon doesn't need any more pages to make her point, when she can craft sentences that glow like embers -- on mothers: "Such pains she'd taken, for the little I'd since become." On popularity: "Phoebe, oh I love that girl, people said, but it's possible they all just loved the reflected selves." On power: "I felt seen for what I wanted to be."
It's this last sentence that stuck with me throughout the novel, as I attempted to parse through the delusion of seeing someone else as you wanted them to be and the power of making someone feel as if you saw their true self. How do intelligent, talented, beloved people fall under the power of a cult? I felt Kwon convincingly answers that question. If you don't like books without quotation marks, this is probably not for you, especially since this affect is used to underscore the ambiguity of its narrator and truth itself. There also isn't a whole lot of plot for much of the book, mimicking the speed of Phoebe's devotion: little by little, then all at once. CW: sexual assault.
Spoiler
There's also a pretty disturbing scene in which an act of sexual assault takes place between Will and Phoebe in the second half. It's short but very difficult to read, a definite stain on Will's character which had been relatively sympathetic up to that point, and, while certainly not condoned by the book or its characters, not entirely processed or addressed afterward.
The idea of this book was fascinating but the writing….SO dense and confusing. To me, her writing style really took away from the overall experience. I was constantly re-reading to figure out who said or did what. Honestly would not recommend :/
Took a while to pick up, but good story about relationships and guilt and fanaticism.
I really wanted to like this book. The reviews I’d read on Bookstagram were all very positive. The synopsis was compelling. I waited forever on the library hold lost before I was finally able to get my hands on a copy. But, I just didn’t get it. There was so much going on. The narrative was jumbled, but not in a way that was clarified at the end. Maybe that was the point. Who knows. I know some loved the prose. And, I didn’t dislike it as much as I was confused by it. The plot jumped around the timeline without warning or any goalposts to let you know where you were. There were times I was two pages into a different spot in the timeline before I realized that was what had happened. Anyway, I gave this book 3 starts because I think the themes are strong and the characters interesting. I just wish I was able to understand what happened in the plot.
A very compelling examination of the draw of cults/extreme fundamentalist views.
This is s very good first novel that works on a lot of level, particularly the technical. And yet something about it felt a bit distant for me. Maybe because I read it in a time when I’m already emotionally wrought and more or less numb.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was really excited for this book, a dark cult novel that explores the effect of faith on relationships. Maybe that’s why it fell really short for me? I didn’t find the relationships honest, the writing was incredibly inaccessible, and the plot never managed to pull me in.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Violence