Nicole Cuffy’s ambitious second novel, O Sinners!, opens with New York journalist Faruq Zaidi on assignment to embed with “the nameless,” a spiritual group with their headquarters in Northern California. Led by Odo, a charismatic Black Vietnam War vet, the nameless’ residential compound in the midst of the forest is part experiment in utopian communal living, part inflexible sect. Its members follow a creed that encourages them to view death as a natural part of life and to live without the “distortion” which they believe warps and disfigures the world’s beauty. At first, their so-called Forbidden City is appealing—gorgeous surroundings, attractive people and a rich cultural life. Faruq retains his skepticism, however, and on his daily runs through the forest and in his interactions with Odo and second-in-command Minh-An, something continues to bother him. He becomes more suspicious when it appears that someone is going through his things. And how does Odo know so much about Faruq’s family? But Faruq’s experience with the faithful of the Forbidden City also makes him question his own lack of faith and drives home the way conflicts with his strict Muslim father were exacerbated by his mother’s death and the aftermath of 9/11. The nameless offer a rosy worldview and a tempting way of life. But is it the one for Faruq?
Cuffy includes chapters chronicling Odo’s tour of duty in Vietnam, an experience that encompasses moments of extreme danger as well a deep camaraderie with fellow combatants. She also interleaves the transcript of a documentary about the nameless’s face-off with an evangelical church at the group’s original home in rural Texas. Though neither of these narratives provides irrefutable answers to Faruq’s questions, they give important context to the group’s origins.
Dances, Cuffy’s first novel, explored the physical and psychological toll felt by a Black ballerina in a classical company. Cuffy brings that same clear-eyed honesty and fearlessness to O Sinners!, but on a whole new level, exploring the ways rage and racism can shape a life, and how doubt can lead us to new paths of belief.
