Wow. This book absolutely exceeded my expectations. I’m left feeling enlightened yet unsettled, and it’s that ambiguity that Cuffy excels at.

There is so much to unpack in this novel. Set in two time periods, the story unfolds slowly, and then all at once. The entire book felt like teetering on the precipice of something-but of what I am not sure.

Cuffy explores politics, racism, grief, religion and spirituality, and arguably most importantly, nature. How man and nature are not set apart, but rather, can operate as one; a tool of healing and oneness. This sentiment is written with such profound prose, enchanting lyricism, and a plot that truly just pulls you in.

I really liked the narrative style for this book. The novel examines belonging and what we seek in those whom we admire; looking at Faruq’s relationships with both his father and Odo and with the different perspectives, it was a fun and thrilling book as the story kept taking me on twists and turns. It was a fun read and I really enjoyed it

a decent look into a cult from a journalists POV, and then a look into the cult leaders start during the vietnam war

i really did enjoy each pov the book offered, giving a sort of circular view of the nameless cult. some parts dragged on, some questions left unanswered, and an ending that didn’t exactly satisfy me but i have a feeling that i expect perfection and that’s the distortion in me.

This novel has a switching point of view, which was interesting for what the author is trying to accomplish here, but wasn't really my cup of tea. A different take on a novel dealing with cults.

3.5 -Rating this book has presented as a bit of a challenge for me. I will start out be saying that I found it very well written, and it kept me engaged throughout the novel. However, upon completing the book I found myself feeling perplexed.

The novel consists of three stories that presumably weave together. One is told via a journalist’s experience with investigating a cult by immersing himself within it. Another story is a flashback of a character’s experiences in the Vietnam war, and one is told via the structure of a documentary.

The themes around religion, faith, religious persecution, racism, religiocentrism, religion in families, hypocrisy, and trauma were fascinating and thought provoking. That being said, I was so invested in this novel waiting for something to happen, and, in my opinion, it fell short. Perhaps I just missed something🤷🏻‍♀️, but I would have liked the interplay of the stories to be more clear and cohesive. There were also many mysteries within the cult that presented themselves with no follow up or resolution.

Overall, it was an enjoyable and provocative read, and I would definitely read more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, One World Hardcover, and Nicole Cuffy for this free digital book in exchange for an honest review.

Rounded up from 4.5 stars. I feel a little hypocritical loving this so much because I was just talking about how I don’t love reading about war when trying to get through The Women but for some reason, this book worked really well for me.

It had dual timelines, one present day and one during the Vietnam war. Present day focused on a Muslim journalist spending some time amongst a cult who didn’t technically consider themselves as such. The war timeline centered around a group of African American soldiers who were just trying to survive the insanity of their predicament. Both of these timelines were highly readable, with the journalist having his own war he was fighting in his mind and how the members of the “nameless” were interacting with him was confusing yet enlightening. And all the while waiting to find out who Odo kept me rapt.

I found this book profound in a way I can’t truly articulate but suffice it to say, it was just damn good.

Nicole's writing is absolutely gorgeous. I realyl enjoyed the three different perspectives: Faruq's, Odo's, and the documentary, There were times I thought the pacing struggled a bit, and I think the ending could have been prolonged a bit, but overall this was a fantastic read and I can't wait for others to pick it up.

It was well written and the format of storytelling was interesting. The ending felt rushed but overall, a good reading experience.

o sinners! was one heck of a book. what is billed as a young, middle eastern journalist’s quest to observe a cult in the redwoods turns out to be so much more. the story is told from three points of view: journalist faruq, various soldiers fighting in the vietnam war, and through a documentary on “the nameless” cult. each of the povs offer something different, which turns the book into an exploration of grief, violence, beauty, racism, family, and more.

o sinners! was unlike anything i’ve read before in the best ways. thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the arc in exchange for the review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy! All opinions are my own:

Journalist Faruq decides after losing his father to embed himself in a California cult called The Nameless, led by a Vietnam war veteran named Odo. O Sinners! takes us through three interwoven story lines: Faruq’s present-day investigation, Odo’s time during the Vietnam war, and a documentary about The Nameless’s clash with a Texas church.

I enjoyed Faruq’s development as a character throughout the book. But for me, the pace of the book was just too slow. Every time we went back to Odo’s war time, it just seemed like the same stuff for the most part, which I do understand can be a statement on the brutal effect on the mentality that war has, but nonetheless fell short for me. And the documentary was just difficult to read the way it was laid out.

Overall, I think I would’ve wanted a lot more information on the cult itself, maybe even just the whole book about The Nameless and Faruq’s investigation.

I can see that this has a lot of potential and will probably be a really good book for a lot of people, but it just fell a little flat for me.

2.5 stars rounded up

I really struggled with getting into this one despite it being something that peaks my interest. I found the story pacing was incredibly slow and personally I could have done without the Vietnam flashbacks completely. It really broke the momentum of the story and took us away from our MC and him discovering things about the cult. I’m kind of disappointed with this ending because it just felt so bland. I really enjoyed Faruq as a character and his journey of processing his grief and trauma was incredibly well written. I just wish we got to delve further into the Nameless cult and uncover the unanswered mysteries that Faruq experienced. This book definitely wasn’t my cup of tea because I expected more mystery/cult inclusion but I can definitely see someone enjoying this if general fiction is their vibe.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “O Sinners!” will be published March 18, 2025.

O Sinners! by Nicole Cuffy is told in three interconnected storylines; in the present day journalist Faruq becomes enmeshed with a cult called the nameless as he tries to write an article about their leader Odo; Odo’s time in Vietnam alongside three other Black soldiers; scenes from a documentary about the nameless and their legal battles with a fundamentalist Christian church in Texas.
This was one of the rare instances where all three storylines were engaging and interesting, and I didn’t find myself wanting to get back to one part of the book over another. Faruq and Odo are two of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a long time, and I loved when they interacted on page.
I thought this book was fantastic, and I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of O Sinners! in exchange for my honest review.

it was a bit of a slough for me. it’s a vivid picture of what cults do best which is make you believe they’re not a cult. but something about the writing just didn’t do it for me

I love a book about a cult. Especially when it is done right, and Cuffy manages to do that in O Sinners.

We follow Faruq, a journalist, who immerses himself in the world of the “nameless,” trying to expose them as a cult.

I loved how in-depth this story got, it sometimes felt like you were really watching a cult doc.

Where this book lost me was on the “before” POV, it sometimes got a little boring and I felt like skipping (I didn’t, 😅).

Overall, I had a great time and highly recommend this book.

O Sinners! was such a good read! It’s rare that a book keeps me so engaged. Cuffy’s weaving of the three narratives was so well done, the style for each one was so different and well-executed. The plot won’t appeal to everyone but if you’re at all intrigued by the description of this book, read it, you’ll love it! I’ll be recommending this one a lot for a long time.

O Sinners! takes place in two timelines, one in the present following Faruq Zaidi, a non-believing Muslim journalist (haunted, naturally, by the deaths of his parents) who embeds with what he suspects is a cult called the nameless. The second timeline shifts perspectives (mostly) among a Black subgroup of an American troop in Vietnam, one of whom (this is implied, but never specified, and which one it might be is not clarified either, as military nicknames are used throughout) will become Odo, the leader of the nameless, after surviving (or maybe not?) the traumatic experience. On top of these narrative threads, the script of a documentary produced by one of his followers about Odo's and the nameless's legal entanglements unwinds in segments between chapters. I was bowled over by Cuffy's ability to portray the thoughts and feelings of several men in such disparate settings, not to mention the impeccably believable, Errol Morris-style documentary. Like Faruq, I began to buy into Odo's spiritual teachings and question whether the nameless was a cult or a religion. What indeed is the difference? And if people are giving freely of their time and money in support of a community, why not one that centers on seeing everyone and everything as beautiful, and living free of emotional boundaries and mortal fear? But destabilizing elements keep the tension (the uncertainty re: Odo's benevolence and true motives) high. I love when a character (& I) can't discern reality from insanity, and Cuffy includes a few teasing instances of this. Is there a wolf in the woods? Does Odo have eyes everywhere? Is the wolf itself Odo? Are the nameless's demonstrations tailored to trigger Faruq's psychic blocks, or is he just paranoid? For other reasons, the ending of Faruq's thread felt a bit incomplete, but that the book doesn't answer these and other questions is delectable. The Nam thread, though it had similarly unresolved questions, brought me to tears. I will definitely be picking up more of Cuffy's works and recommending O Sinners! widely.

O Sinners! is a literary fiction / suspense novel that seems to be disguised as a thriller. It will make you think about life, love, spirituality, and relationships. Faruq is a young journalist who has recently lost his father, with whom he had a complicated relationship. Faruq becomes interested in a group called the nameless and starts writing a story about them. He travels to the compound to meet the leader, Odo, and writes an in-depth story on the group. The novel is written from three perspectives: Faruq’s experience with the nameless, Odo’s time in Vietnam with his fellow Soldiers, and parts of a documentary about a conflict between the nameless and a church in Texas.

The heart of this story is relationships and how we find where we belong. The author weaves the stories in and out very well. The strongest portions of the book were the scenes from Vietnam. They were riveting, descriptive, and visceral. The portions from Faruq’s perspective were somewhat confusing at times, but that is to be expected, as that was his journey. I can’t say more without giving anything away. My least favorite part was the documentary section. I felt the sections were disjointed and confusing with regards to their structure at times. I didn’t find that they added much to the story. I would have preferred a perspective from someone else in the nameless or Faruq’s family. Sometimes the pace lagged a little for me and I wished it had been a little faster and other times I couldn’t put it down. However, this is a special book and I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to One World for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved Cuffy's first novel and was looking forward to this one with a cult background. Unfortunately it did not work to hold my attention and was confusing at times. I look forward to trying Cuffy's next work.

“O Sinners” is nothing like what you’d expect from the description (in a very, very good way). I went in thinking I was going to get a thriller about a journalist infiltrating an evil cult in the California redwoods and taking them down from within. Wrong. I was so wrong. It’s so much better than that.

I don’t want to give away too much. So I’ll impart some wisdom from “The Nameless”- strip yourself of distortion, see only beauty, seek the face of Mow Vutu and READ “O SINNERS!”

Thank you NetGalley and Nicole Cuffy for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Publishing for this early read. I loved this book, I think Cuffy did a great job at making the characters human. They were likeable, hateable, infuriating, endearing, all at once. I would suggest this to anyone who’s interested in the alluring nature of cults and personal growth.