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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
I did not love this book.
about 3/4 of the way in, I finally got the hook into the story that I had been waiting for and things started happening.
I do not like this style of writing at all. it’s that kind that’s very detached and airy and to me it just comes across like it’s trying too hard to be mysterious and ethereal. instead of being either of those things, for me it’s just boring and hard to follow.
I don’t like books about couples like Phoebe and Will. their codependency paired with toxic passive aggressive-ness was just not for me. I suppose that’s good writing for me to so strongly dislike characters, but it does not make for fun reading for me, let me just say.
the whole first half of the book read like transcripts of dreams we were reading out of order. it did not make sense. also it was hard to tell if the narrators were unreliable, just liars, or telling their version of the events.
consistently, the chapters were labeled “Phoebe” and then suddenly it would clear be in Will’s perspective. that was literally so confusing, y’all.
I would give this 2 stars, but truly the end (when things FINALLY started happened) gave this book one whole extra star. the end was so interesting and compelling that it made me wish the whole book could’ve been that good.
I guess if you like cult-y / dark academia books, this one could be fore you, but otherwise… I’m not sure what the draw is here.
about 3/4 of the way in, I finally got the hook into the story that I had been waiting for and things started happening.
I do not like this style of writing at all. it’s that kind that’s very detached and airy and to me it just comes across like it’s trying too hard to be mysterious and ethereal. instead of being either of those things, for me it’s just boring and hard to follow.
I don’t like books about couples like Phoebe and Will. their codependency paired with toxic passive aggressive-ness was just not for me. I suppose that’s good writing for me to so strongly dislike characters, but it does not make for fun reading for me, let me just say.
the whole first half of the book read like transcripts of dreams we were reading out of order. it did not make sense. also it was hard to tell if the narrators were unreliable, just liars, or telling their version of the events.
consistently, the chapters were labeled “Phoebe” and then suddenly it would clear be in Will’s perspective. that was literally so confusing, y’all.
I would give this 2 stars, but truly the end (when things FINALLY started happened) gave this book one whole extra star. the end was so interesting and compelling that it made me wish the whole book could’ve been that good.
I guess if you like cult-y / dark academia books, this one could be fore you, but otherwise… I’m not sure what the draw is here.
I finished this book in a single day and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. There is a constant tension throughout the novel that pulls at you the entire time. I found the multiple narratives really effective at providing depth of the characters, especially the man, and revealing where each may be telling lies to themselves. With pretty sparse writing the author tells so much. I thoroughly enjoyed this work and will be eagerly waiting for her next book.
A very odd, confusing book. Really enjoyed the grappling with loss of faith, but longed for other reasons to relate to the main character
Ένα βιβλίο που ξεκίνησα και ολοκλήρωσα μέσα σε λίγες ώρες. Ο άνθρωπος έχει την τάση να περιμένει πάντα κάποιον να του δώσει το χέρι και να τον τραβήξει από τον λάκκο που βρίσκεται. Κάποιοι το ρίχνουν στις χαρτορίχτρες και στις μελλοντολόγους κάποιοι περιμένουν έναν Τζων Λιλ -ένα μεσσία. Η Φοίβη στρέφεται στην πίστη για να περιορίσει την θλίψη της και ο Γουίλ προσπαθεί να κατανοήσει τον τρόπο που ο Τζων την παγίδευσε και της έγινε τόσο αναγκαίος, γιατί τα κηρύγματά του είχαν τόση επιρροή. Ένα μυθιστόρημα που μου φανέρωσε πόσο εύκολη είναι η διαδικασία χειραγώγησή μας αλλά και τι μπορεί να συμβεί όταν είμαστε πρόθυμοι να κάνουμε ο τιδήποτε για ένα σκοπό. Ένα βιβλίο που μου άρεσε ωστόσο θα το χαρακτήριζα άνευρο, καθώς δεν μπόρεσα να σταθώ κοντά στους ήρωες.
3,5 αστερια
3,5 αστερια
Incendiaries focuses on Will, a born-again Christian turned atheist and Phoebe, a lively party girl. They both harbor guilt about things in their past. Will helped convert his mother to a faith he no longer believes in and Phoebe blames herself for her mother’s death. When Phoebe is slowly drawn into a cult, Will tries his best to save her.
Incendiaries was this month’s pick for my Moms group book club. We all agreed that the way the book started off is confusing. I got about 30 pages in and realized that I needed to start over. Once I reread the first 30 pages, I had a much better handle on what was going on. There are no quotation marks in the book, a device that I’m never fond of. Much of the book is Will speculating what Phoebe says in her confessions at cult meetings, making him an unreliable narrator at times.
Lack of quotation marks aside, I did enjoy this book. It explores loss in ways I hadn’t thought of previously. Not only is Phoebe mourning the loss of her mother, Will is mourning the loss of his religion. He’s sad that he doesn’t believe anymore. And I’m always intrigued by how a rational person can be drawn into and overtaken by a cult. Even though this is a slim novel at just over 200 pages, we found a lot to discuss in our book club meeting. Recommended.
Incendiaries was this month’s pick for my Moms group book club. We all agreed that the way the book started off is confusing. I got about 30 pages in and realized that I needed to start over. Once I reread the first 30 pages, I had a much better handle on what was going on. There are no quotation marks in the book, a device that I’m never fond of. Much of the book is Will speculating what Phoebe says in her confessions at cult meetings, making him an unreliable narrator at times.
Lack of quotation marks aside, I did enjoy this book. It explores loss in ways I hadn’t thought of previously. Not only is Phoebe mourning the loss of her mother, Will is mourning the loss of his religion. He’s sad that he doesn’t believe anymore. And I’m always intrigued by how a rational person can be drawn into and overtaken by a cult. Even though this is a slim novel at just over 200 pages, we found a lot to discuss in our book club meeting. Recommended.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
less about a woman joining a cult and more about the protagonist struggling with the loss of his faith, which is fine but not as advertised. i think i would’ve liked it better if it had been more about the joining a cult. the style worked when there was a lot of interaction between two familiar characters but as soon as one left it was hard to read.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I rather enjoyed this book. To begin with was a tad confused as to what was happening, but it all flowed together quite nicely, leading through the story. A hard-hitting, well-written novel about love, pain and all that between.