A radiant, razor-sharp debut about faith, obsession, and the fine line between devotion and destruction.
In The Incendiaries, R.O. Kwon crafts a haunting literary puzzle of a novel centered on a young woman’s descent into a cult and the man who desperately tries to pull her back. Phoebe Lin is a dazzling, damaged student at an elite university, reeling from the loss of her mother. When she meets Will Kendall, a former evangelical with secrets of his own, they become entwined in an intense romance shadowed by loss, longing, and unresolved trauma.
 
As Phoebe drifts toward a secretive extremist group led by charismatic cult leader John Leal, her disappearance leaves Will unraveling both her past and his own. Kwon’s prose is lyrical and compact, her storytelling surgical in its dissection of love, grief, and the hunger for meaning in a fractured world.
 
💖 Why You’ll Love It
A beautifully written literary novel exploring faith, identity, and fanaticism.
Combines psychological insight with lyrical, emotionally charged prose.
Intimate yet explosive — part campus novel, part moral thriller.
A remarkable debut that was a National Book Award nominee.
Perfect for readers who appreciate literary fiction that challenges and provokes.
🌟 Perfect For
Fans of The Secret History and The Goldfinch.
Readers who enjoy character-driven literary fiction with dark psychological themes.
Book clubs exploring faith, loss, and moral ambiguity.
Collectors of modern debut novels and award-winning fiction.
❤️ Fans Also Liked
If you enjoyed The Incendiaries, you might also like:
The Secret History by Donna Tartt — a dark academic tale of obsession and morality.
Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang — raw, lyrical stories of youth and identity.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt — a sweeping exploration of loss, beauty, and art.