This is a tough book for me to rate. I enjoyed the experience of reading it and was intrigued to see where the story was leading, but ultimately, I was left unsatisfied. I didn't really understand the point of it, and I felt like there were so many loose ends.

There were certain plot points that were given a decent amount of focus (the wolf, the foals, the strange things happening to Faruq's belongings), but never truly explained.

There was a present day storyline and well as flashback storylines, one of which detailed the cult leader's experiences in Vietnam. However, while I expected the Vietnam flashbacks to explain how the cult leader was shaped into who he became, I didn't really feel that they did that (unless it totally went over my head, which is possible).

I don't think this was a bad book; as I said, it kept my interest throughout. I just would have liked some answers to the questions that were brought about through the course of the story, and I would've liked to have felt like there was more of a "point" to the story.

To be fair, though, I seem to do best with understanding things at face value. I suspect there is a lot of underlying meaning on inferences in this book that escaped me, simply because that's not the way my brain works. So I do think many others will love this book and rate it higher than I did. For anyone that is good at understanding implied meanings or reading between the lines, I think it'll be a well-loved read.

Thank you to Random House/OneWorld and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Real Rating: 3.5* of five

I am exactly the right audience for this story: I think cults are reprehensible, predatory horrors; I'm part of the generation defined by the Vietnam War and its aftermath; I'm a strong advocate of novels that tell stories complicated by memories a character needs to repress in order to make sense of their daily life.

After about the fifth time-switch I felt ping-ponged; after the repetitions of the 18 Utterances, I was not able to control my eyerolling. I just liked the story, yet didn't like the storytelling as much.

One World asks $13.99 for the ebook. I myownself would ask the library to get one.

A journalist grieving his father’s recent death is sent on an assignment to report on a cult in California. The story alternates between present day and the founder’s journey to establish the group starting in the 1960’s.

I found the present day storyline more compelling to read as were following Faruq try to report on the cult without getting pulled further into it. I did appreciate the format of the flashbacks, as part of it was written as a script of a documentary about the cult. Overall, I just couldn’t really get into the flashbacks, even though I understood that they were important in understanding the cult. It was interesting to see how the Vietnam War and race impacted the cult’s founding and its members since most content about cults centers white people and cults led by white men. I think if you are really into the psychology of cults, and particularly in the story of a cult leaders background, I would recommend this book to you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is doing a lot—and for the most part, I enjoyed it. The way it weaves together different POVs—jumping from Vietnam to the present, and even incorporating a documentary script—made for an engaging read. .

I also enjoyed how this book centers men characters in a way I don’t see often, especially with a Black man as the leader of a cult and explored religion outside of Christianity.

That said, the Vietnam flashbacks left me wanting more. I kept waiting for deeper insight into Odo. There was no charisma and the Vietnam flashbacks didn't offer a lot of insight into how that experience shaped him

Still, O, Sinners is such a unique read, and I appreciate how it pushes boundaries both in style and subject matter.

Nicole Cuffy’s O Sinners is a sharp, absorbing novel that digs into faith, grief, and the strange ways people seek meaning. At the center is Faruq, a journalist still reeling from his father’s death, who embeds himself in a secluded cult-like commune called the nameless. Led by the mysterious Odo, the group preaches radical ideas about beauty, suffering, and truth, concepts that feel both comforting and unsettling. As Faruq observes them, he finds himself drawn in, questioning not just the cult but his own past, identity, and beliefs.

What makes O Sinners so compelling to myself is how Cuffy captures the quiet seduction of belonging. The nameless aren’t just a warning about cults; they represent something deeper, the human need for purpose and connection, even when it leads us somewhere dangerous. The novel moves between different perspectives and timelines, adding layers to the story without ever losing its momentum. Cuffy’s writing is crisp and immersive, pulling you into Faruq’s mind as he struggles with what he sees and how it makes him feel. It doesn’t offer easy answers, but it lingers in the best way.

Overall this was a beautiful book. I had a lot of fun reading it, but I feel like a lot of loose ends were left. The ending did not leave me with that feeling of satisfaction that comes with reading a wholly amazing book, so I am giving this book a 3.5 stars on 5. there was so much potential with the various themes explored, but the culmination fell flat since only one of the development points was fleshed out. I wanted more clarity on the cult aspect, the supernatural/religious aspect, the WOLF? what was going on there. You could argue that this book is an exploration of grief and exploration of selfhood apart from parental figures, but it is not overly clear. The initial summary highlights themes and motifs that ended up not being the main piece in the story, therefore I feel a bit let down. The pacing was also challenging to get into, the back-and-forth at the beginning was jolting then there was a major slowdown at the 75% mark, which made me lose some momentum. So much potential here, i’m admittedly sad that the ending was not satisfying. Overall, a wonderful book with room to improve.

Additional information on my substack review!

This won't be for anyone -it's a challenging read that moves back and forth between a cult in the present and the Vietnam war. Faruq, a journalist in mourning, heads out to investigate the Nameless, a California based cult run by the mysterious Odo. That's fairly straightforward but then there are the flashbacks to the War, where you will find yourself focused on figuring out which of the soldiers survive and which of them is Odo. And then there's the documentary. I admired this more than enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

I love a cult book. I REALLY love a well-done cult book. This....is not that.

Three perspectives, same storyline, in some way, but also interspersed with Instagram posts? It's a little too....now for me. The choice to make Faruq a Muslim and to put all of the stereotypes that are often assigned to Muslim characters was....a choice. I just....sometimes I just....why? How does this advance a story?

War flashbacks, the fake script?

Nothing worked. NOTHING worked for me.

Thanks anyway?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

O Sinners! has a lot going for it that I usually like—cults, journalism, family drama. For whatever reason, it just didn’t suck me in like I expected it to. I think the opening was slower than I wanted it to be and the parts that really sang were buried in an obtuse narrative that didn’t move the reader along at the right pace.

Readers should also know that this book has some experimental parts and structures, like instagram posts and parts of scripts. Again, usually as a reader this doesn’t bother me but here it did feel a little jolting and detracting from the overall plot—but maybe that’s part of the point?

I would say that this is for a reader who is willing to work with the author to get at the heart of the story—your efforts will be rewarded!

I had trouble following the plot for this story. I enjoyed the chapters that reflected on the character's experiences during the Vietnam War and also the time spent at the compound in the woods. The sections that were written as script or as interviews and posts threw me off the trail for a bit.
Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group-Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is March 18, 2025.

I was drawn to this book because I pretty much eat up anything about cults and I loved the eye-catching cover. It had a few issues that bugged me but not enough to take away my overall enjoyment of the work.

"O, Sinners!" is Nicole Cuffy's sophomore effort that takes a literary look at a spiritual movement that may or may not be a cult through the eyes of a reporter who specializes in immersive journalism. It moves between present day, alt text of social media posts, the script of a documentary filmed about the movement, and cult leader Odo's Vietnam War experiences. I found the social media posts and the script chapters hard to read because they felt clunky in ebook format; it probably would be even weirder in audio book. This book is likely best read as a physical copy.

Faruq, the journalist, embeds with the cult in their compound in Northern California. Another quibble: The geography kind of got to me, a beach so close a different type of environment, but that's just from someone who's been there. Anyway, he's grieving his dead parents - a strict, religious Muslim father who drove away his mother, who killed herself years before. Probably not the best state of mind to investigate a cult specializing in emotional manipulation, so for that I forgive him some of his journalism faux pas.

Once in California, Faruq finds a community of people who are expert social media influencers who take in people who have experienced trauma, most of whom are conventionally attractive. He keeps getting the feeling that something's not quite right there even as he finds himself drawn to their ways to help process his grief and extends his stay from six weeks to three months. He's long convinced there's something nefarious just under the surface but he can never quite find it, and his general aversion to religion makes him biased.

As a journalist I found Faruq annoying, since I'm a former journalist myself. He only ever asked soft leading questions, he didn't ask obvious questions, he let himself become part of the story and he let his emotions get the better of him. But that was also the point. In a vulnerable position, he fell for the cult's tactics, even as he denied it to the end.

I found this refreshing because the cult was a group of hippie progressives and it was entirely plausible that a movement like this could exist in real life. I also found it refreshing that the question of whether it was a harmful cult or just a spiritual movement that brought people peace was never quite resolved.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I didn't like this as much as I'd expected :( this has all the makings of a book I'd love but I found it super hard to follow for too long which just really lowered my enjoyment of the whole thing.

Some of this really worked for me some of it really didn’t. So it sits right in the middle.

Faruq is a journalist going to investigate a cult. (Loved) we also have snippets of a documentary about the cult(meh) and then flashbacks of the cult leader’s time in the Vietnam war. (Could have left this out)

I think Faruq was a an interesting character and had some heartbreaking backstory. I think leaving the focus of the book on him would have felt less jarring.
Thanks to netgalley and random house for an eARC

Characterizing cult behavior seems to have become a thing in America following the success of the MAGA movement. History teaches us about certain commonalities among cults: charismatic leadership, devoutly held beliefs, intense devotion to a cause, isolation from mainstream society, and potential for violence. Cuffy’s novel depicts a fictional group (“the nameless”) that seems to satisfy many of those criteria. Superficially, they appear beneficent enough, but her protagonist, Faruq Zaidi, questions that assumption. As an investigative journalist, Faruq seeks to uncover the true nature of the group and especially its charismatic leader—Odo—by embedding himself in their isolated commune—the Forbidden City—located in a California redwood forest.

Cuffy’s approach to examining the nameless comes in three parts. First, she follows life in the commune through the eyes of Faruq while simultaneously raising questions about his own demons and how they may be impacting his perspectives. Meanwhile, she explores Odo’s backstory as an infantryman during the Vietnam war. Despite these chapters being intensely violent, they carry a strong sense of comradery and brotherhood. Thirdly, through a faux documentary, we learn of an example of the type of community unrest and prejudice that cults frequently encounter. Each of these settings focusses on a separate element: beliefs and behaviors; origins and motivations; and challenges fitting into mainstream society.

Using this structure, Cuffy masterfully explores a rich array of themes, including belief/doubt, isolation/community, violence/emotion, prejudice/religion, and leadership/grifting. However, in the final analysis, she leaves an unsettling array questions unanswered. Is the nameless harmful to its followers or society? Is Odo a charlatan or a devout leader? Has Faruq lost his journalistic objectivity? What will the ultimate fate or the nameless be? In fairness, the novel seems to end on a note of hope.

Faruq Zaidi, investigative journalist is sent on an immersive assignment to live among a cult known as "The Nameless". Odo is the charismatic leader who preaches "seeing the beauty in all". Faruq's journey will cause him to focus on many aspects of his own life that he would rather stay hidden.

The multiple timelines of this story work so well together (Vietnam War, a documentary on Odo and the Nameless' confrontation with a conservative Christian church in Texas, and the present --Faruq's time and observations in the California home of the Nameless-Forbidden City).

Maybe its time we all got "hipped" to help make this world a better place.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House | One World for the eARC of this fantastic Read.

While at times it felt like SO much was going on, it all had an important purpose that spins together a tale hard to look away from. Cuffy has so much to say about so much here, and it all just...worked. A must read that will engage readers of all genres.

I almost almost gave this one 5 stars but the ending let me down a little bit. What an amazing read though! A concept that was refreshing in its uniqueness and thought provoking and extremely well-delivered. I did not expect this at all to be honest.
I wish there’d been just a bit more at the end, I wanted to know the “beautiful truth” and I wish Faruq’s realization got just a bit more development, but those small things didn’t take away from the story or the message very much, so it was still enjoyable.
(4.75/5 stars)

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an arc of O Sinners!

This was fine. Not bad, but I needed more.

The cult was super interesting. The documentary format worked really well. But the actual story didn’t hit the way I expected it too. The flashbacks felt unnecessary. They added context, but they didn’t actually add to the story in a meaningful way. Faruq was incredibly introspective, but none of that reflection led to any real growth. He left the cult the same way he entered it, making the whole journey feel stagnant.

The vibes were there. The setup was solid. But by the end, it felt like something was missing.

Pub date is March 18th! I think this will work for some people, but I went into it with different expectations for the story.

Something that I particularly enjoyed about “O Sinners!” was the multipart timeline that established both the present-day status of the characters and the Vietnam background of one man in particular. I also quite enjoyed the inclusion of lawsuit transcripts. I feel that these types of elements, while providing nuance to the story that may not be accessible within the main storyline itself, also allows the reader a short break, especially with heavier subject matter. This was a great, thought-provoking read.

O Sinners! is a book that takes place between contexts. A journalist goes to northern California to investigate a cult-like group led by a black male Vietnam vet in the modern day. a script of a documentary about a lawsuit between the cult and a fundamentalist Christian group in Texas, a black man is fighting in the Vietnam war and watching his friends die and kill.

Over the course of the book you see connections between the characters' stories and come to understand ways they are and aren't connected. It's hard to say too much without giving away plot points, but this was a book that really made me think and I can't wait for some of my friends to read it so that we can talk about it. Even with its power and narrative complexity, I found the writing digestible and the book itself to be pleasant to read, other than the graphic descriptions of violence in Vietnam (unfortunately hard to avoid with this subject matter.)

This book was really interesting and will stay with me for a long time. I predict that it will be up for some big awards this year. I recommend it to anyone looking for a fairly quick (for a book of this depth) read that will make them think!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC for unbiased review.