FICTION

The Incendiaries

by R.O. Kwon
Riverhead. Jul. 2018. 224p. ISBN 9780735213890. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780735213913. F
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Told in three voices, this debut novel explores connections among people. The sparsely written first-person chapters alternately tell the story of college students Will Kendall and his Korean American sort-of girlfriend Phoebe Lin, who attend Edwards University. Interspersed are third-person narrations about John Leal, the enigmatic half-Korean cult leader of Jejah, to whom Phoebe is drawn and who threatens to come between the couple. In an effort to salvage his relationship with Phoebe, Will makes an attempt to attend Jejah meetings and tries to keep her from falling even deeper into the organization. When a clinic is bombed, killing five young women, Will tries to convince himself that Phoebe was not involved in the incident.
VERDICT Kwon successfully defines her characters' depth while maintaining an air of intrigue and suspense. Throughout, she looks at the imperfections in all our lives and how our interactions may lead us down paths unbeknownst to ourselves. With a breezy yet intense style, newcomer Kwon is a writer to watch. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/18.]
Reviewed by Shirley Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA , Jun 15, 2018
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