The Incendiaries

'A God-haunted, willful, strange book written with a kind of savage elegance. I've said it before, but now I'll shout it from the rooftops: R. O. Kwon is the real deal' Lauren Groff

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet in their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn't tell anyone she blames herself for her mother's recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transferred from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.
Grieving and guilt-ridden, Phoebe is drawn into a secretive cult tied to North Korea, founded by a charismatic former student with an enigmatic past. When the group commits violent acts in the name of faith, Will finds himself struggling to confront a new version of the fanaticism he's worked so hard to escape. Haunting and powerful, The Incendiaries is a fractured love story and a brilliant look at the mind of extremists.
'Kwon is always in total control . . . a startlingly assured book by an important new writer' Guardian
'A pulsating, hypnotic debut novel . . . packs a disruptive charge, and introduces RO Kwon as a major talent' Financial Times
'Spare, scalpel-like writing . . . utterly convincing' The Times
'A stunning debut' Marie Clare
'Impressive, assured . . . Kwon has viral things to say' Jenny Offill