Incendiaries

Acknowledgements
Translator's Note: Crossing the Narrow Line Between Fanaticism and Everyday Life

Crossing the narrow line between fanaticism and everyday life

Many people stand on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to faith.
There are two types of people: those who know what it means to believe in God and those who have no idea.
I wanted to cross the gap between them.
So that we can show everyone what both worlds look like… …
_From an interview with the author of 『Electric Literature』

Incendiaries is told from the perspectives of three characters: Phoebe, her boyfriend Will, and the cult leader John Leal, who recruits Phoebe as a disciple.
Will, once a devout Christian and seminary student, suffered a crisis of faith and left religion, but now longs for the days when he lived each day joyfully and lovingly, living in the illusion of salvation.
Will knows well the comfort that religious faith provides.
When John Leal was taken to a North Korean prison camp while rescuing North Korean defectors, he was struck by the blind love and loyalty of the North Korean people towards their dictator.
If their dictator loved his people… … that was the beginning of a cult religious disciple.
Phoebe, who had been living a dissolute and debaucherous college life, meets John Rill and his group of disciples. After meeting him, she stops obsessing over her sorrow and tormenting herself, and instead feels liberated and happy at the thought that she is dedicating herself to her own salvation, to humanity, and to a transcendent goal.

Kwon Oh-kyung, who grew up as a devout Christian like Will but lost his faith at the age of seventeen, said that the loss of his faith was so painful, even though it was a path he chose himself, and that the pain became the biggest driving force behind writing 『Incendiaries』.
His goal in writing this novel over the course of ten years was to bridge the gap between believers and non-believers.
Fanatics are not 'monsters'.
Looking into the thinking behind them is not meant to excuse their actions, but rather to reflect on humanity and explore our own ethical direction.
Incendiaries, which “explores with dazzling skill the boundaries between faith and fanaticism, passion and violence, rationality and the unknown” (Celeste Ng), makes this possible.


Asian American female writer Kwon O-kyung R.
O. Kwon

The literary world has been abuzz with Incendiaries for months.
And this slim, powerful novel is the rare book that lives up to its pre-publication hype.
_The Los Angeles Times

Phoebe, who was born in Korea but has no memory of Korea, is praised as a “white Asian woman,” but fundamentally cannot fully belong to mainstream white American culture.
Despite the pain of losing her mother, Phoebe does not seek counseling.
“I am an immigrant.
Immigrants don't trust psychological counseling.
If I did something like that, the Koreans around me would think I was weak-willed.
That's what happens to other racial groups.
“They say it’s because they’re lazy, or because they’re unfilial.” Even Phoebe, who has spent most of her life in the United States, is not free from the mindset that considers psychiatric treatment taboo and unfilial behavior a sin.


The mother, a victim of typical Korean gender discrimination, did not allow her daughter to even set foot in the kitchen, hoping that she would live a life where she could develop her talents differently from her own.
Also, the author's perspective on the dire reality of North Korea as seen through John Reel and the flourishing Christianity in South Korea is also new.

With this debut work, Kwon Oh-kyung received great attention in the American literary world and was well-received by readers, becoming a best-selling author.
Although her work does not primarily deal with the lives of immigrants, the author identifies herself as an Asian woman working in the United States, and reveals her identity through her sexual orientation.
As he himself stated in his interview, this is a voice of support.
A voice of support for all the minorities in this world, and for those who have been unfairly lonely.
With that in mind, Kwon Oh-kyung applies thick black eye shadow under her eyes like a warrior applying war paint before leaving the house.

■ Praise for this book

The summer's most buzzed-about debut... ...unique and captivating! _The Washington Post

A wonderful book by an important new author.
_『Guardian』

An exciting and hypnotic debut novel! A testament to Kwon Oh-kyung's extraordinary talent.
_The Financial Times

The literary world has been abuzz with Incendiaries for months.
And this slim, powerful novel is the rare book that lives up to its pre-publication hype.
_The Los Angeles Times

The greatest appeal and reward of this book is its writing style.
The sentences are sharp, restless, and hyper-perceptive, exuding a sense of spiritual unease.
_The Wall Street Journal

It's amazing.
Every page blooms with sensual language.
_『Paris Review』

Kwon Oh-kyung is a multi-talented writer.
This book is a dark, surprising, and beautiful debut.
_『San Francisco Chronicle』

It brilliantly portrays the mysterious social forces and private suffering that can drive people to extremes.
_『New Republic』

Reminiscent of Donna Tartt's The Secret Season, this slim but powerful book is a tale of the clash of religion, politics, and love, with threats and mysteries lurking around every corner.
_People Magazine

A story of spiritual uncertainty and the fierce, unbridled desire of young people to find something that will brighten their lives.
_NPR

It's gorgeous... The bewilderment of desire is dazzlingly depicted.
_O.
Oprah Magazine

The book's multifaceted narrative depicts America's dark and radical tensions, exploring the allure of fundamentalism, the power of manipulation, and what can happen when we are willing to do anything for a greater good.
_The Atlantic