Book
O sinners! : a novel / Nicole Cuffy.
"Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist reeling from the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed in a cult called The Nameless. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War-veteran named Odo, The Nameless adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as "THERE IS NO GOD BUT THE NAMELESS," "ALL SUFFERING IS DISTORTION," and "SEE ONLY BEAUTY." Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of The Nameless, extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult's inner workings, compassionate teachings, and closer to Odo. Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come-to-terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo's spell. Told in three seamlessly interwoven threads between Faruq's present-day investigation, Odo's time before the formation of the movement as a Black infantryman during the Vietnam War, alongside three other Black soldiers, and a documentary script that recounts The Nameless' clash with a Texan fundamentalist church, O SINNERS! examines both longing and belonging. Ultimately the novel asks: What is it that we seek from cults and, inevitably, from each other?"-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593597446 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: 444 pages ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : One World, [2025]
- Copyright: ©2025
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Belonging (Social psychology) > Fiction. Cults > Fiction. Journalists > Fiction. Veterans > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Psychological fiction. Novels. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | FIC Cuffy | 31681010410447 | FICTION | Available | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist reeling from the recent death of his father, a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed in a cult called The Nameless. Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War-veteran named Odo, The Nameless adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as "There is no god but the nameless," "All suffering is distortion," and "See only beauty." Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of The Nameless, extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult's inner workings, compassionate teachings, and closer to Odo. Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come-to-terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo's spell. Told in three seamlessly interwoven threads between Faruq's present-day investigation, Odo's time before the formation of the movement as a Black infantryman during the Vietnam War, alongside three other Black soldiers, and a documentary script that recounts The Nameless' clash with a Texan fundamentalist church, O sinners! examines both longing and belonging. Ultimately the novel asks: What is it that we seek from cults and, inevitably, from each other?"-- - Baker & Taylor
Young journalist Faruq Zaidi, reeling from loss, investigates a cult in the California redwoods, The Nameless, led by Vietnam vet Odo, but as Faruq gets closer to Odo, he unravels and is forced to come to terms with old memories while trying to resist Odoâs spell. - Random House, Inc.
In this âengrossingâ (Los Angeles Times) novel that sweeps from present-day California to the Vietnam War and back, a grieving young man is drawn into the orbit of a charismatic cult leader who forces him to reconsider why people give up controlâand what it takes, ultimately, to find oneâs place in the world.
FINALIST FOR THE WESTPOINT PRIZE FOR LITERATURE ⢠ONE OF THE SEASONâS MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS: Time, Rolling Stone, Vulture, Menâs Health, WNYC, Electric Lit, Feminist Book Club, Lit Hub
âA gorgeously written literary excavation of belonging and belief.ââEmma Donoghue, The Boston Globe
After the death of his father, a young journalist named Faruq Zaidi takes the opportunity to embed himself in a mysterious cult based in the California redwoods and known as âthe nameless,â whose strikingly attractive members adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as âall suffering is distortionâ and âsee only beauty.â Shepherding them is Odo, an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran who received âthe sightââthe movementâs foundational principlesâduring his time as an infantryman. Through flashbacks that recount the cultâs wartime origins, we see four soldiers contend with the existential struggles of combat and with their responsibilities to each other, and by the end of the novel we learn which one becomes Odo.
Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of both âthe namelessâ and Odo, extends his stay by months, and as he gets deeper into the cultâs inner workings and alluring teachings, he begins to lose his grip on reality. Faruq is forced to come to terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odoâs spell. Ultimately this immersive and unsettling novel asks: What does it take to find oneâs place in the world? And what exactly do we seek from one another?
