A review by clairebartholomew549
O Sinners!: A Novel by Nicole Cuffy

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


This is an unsettling, fascinating, and revelatory book. Faruq is a journalist who’s felt adrift since his father died, and his next assignment is immersing himself in a cult - wittily named the Nameless - nestled deep in the redwoods of California. The book goes back and forth between Faruq’s investigation of and immersion into the cult, the cult leader Odo’s formative experience in the Vietnam War, and the script of a documentary about the cult’s clash with a Texas fundamentalist church. 

This is both a fast paced and meditative book, which is definitely an impressive feat, and I enjoyed it immensely. We follow Faruq as he goes deeper and deeper into the cult, and I appreciated that we really got to see the seductive nature of a group like the Nameless, as well as the ways in which cults require their members to cede their identities, privacy, autonomy, and so much more. The Nameless want Faruq and their followers to release themselves from society’s expectations and mores and be truly themselves, but this book masterfully teases out how that is a form of control and expectations too. Faruq is an incredibly introspective protagonist, and he provides the emotional beats and depth that anchor the narrative.

The documentary portions move fast and give us great insight into the context Faruq arrives into, as well as one of the central characters in the cult. There were times when the Vietnam War timeline dragged, and I don’t think the book totally made the connection between Odo’s time in Vietnam and his decision to start his group. But overall, this book made me think a lot and kept me flipping the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
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