Will is a born-again atheist who, having tried and failed to resurrect his belief in a god to whom he had dedicated his life, is on a mission to save his American-Korean girlfriend, Phoebe, from being drawn into a shady religious cult, with links to North Korea, led by the enigmatic John Leal. At one level, this is a simple story of love and loss, set against a backdrop of student life at a prestigious US university, complete with the usual philosophical angst (and enthusiastic enjoyment of drink and drugs). At the heart of the novel, though, is an existential yearning – for perfection, for belonging, for revelation, for meaning and purpose – combined with a desire to shake off the past and to start afresh.
The Incendiaries is a compelling story which builds up a sense of dread inevitability as the tale enters darker territory and moves towards a dramatic finale. But what makes the novel so extraordinary, especially from a new, young writer such as RO Kwon, is the author’s ability to create a world in which the credibility of her characters is both unquestionable and deeply suspect. The protagonists are artfully drawn and utterly believable, but narrator Will admits to being a liar, and most of Phoebe’s words and thoughts are reconstructed by him. Throughout, the reader is left uncertain – how much of this is conjecture, or blatant fabrication? – and many questions remain at the end. A wonderful debut, written with quiet elegance and self-assurance, which underlines the challenges of living with and without god.
