'In dazzlingly acrobatic prose, R. O. Kwon explores the lines between faith and fanaticism, passion and violence, the rational and the unknowable' CELESTE NG

'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

'Absolutely electric' Garth Greenwell

'A major talent' Financial Times

'Reminiscent of Donna Tartt's The Secret History' New Yorker

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall fall in love at 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 transfers from Bible college.

But a charismatic former student draws Phoebe into his cult - an extremist group with secretive ties to North Korea. When the group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, discovering how far we can go when we lose what we love.

'An important new writer' The Times

'R. O. Kwon is the real deal' Lauren Groff