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Nicole Cuffy is the author of Dances, longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. Cuffy has an MFA from The New School and is a lecturer at the University of Maryland and Georgetown University. Her work can be found in the New England Review; The Masters Review, Volume VI (curated by Roxane Gay); Chautauqua; and Blue Mesa Review. Her chapbook, Atlas of the Body, won the Chautauqua Janus Prize and was a finalist for the Black River Chapbook Competition. She lives in Washington, D.C.
“When Faruq Zaidi, a grieving Muslim journalist, seizes the chance to embed himself in a California cult, his determination to get a story pushes him into the world of its mystical leader. But by trying to escape from his bad memories, Faruq’s story brings him closer to potential ruin.”—Rolling Stone “In Nicole Cuffy’s new novel, journalist Faruq Zaidi embeds himself inside a California cult following the death of his devout Muslim father. Faruq has every intention of exposing the mysterious collective, but upon his arrival he strikes up a friendship with the group’s charismatic leader, a Vietnam War veteran named Odo. As their bond deepens, Faruq begins to wonder whether Odo’s unorthodox, but alluring teachings could be the cure-all to his grief.”—TIME, ""The 25 Best and Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2025"" “A young journalist sets out to embed himself a cult called ‘the nameless’ for a story. But as he delves deeper into its teachings, he realizes he must confront the memories of loss he has been running from.”—EBONY “A journalist reeling from the death of his father decides to venture into California’s redwoods and investigate a strange cult run by a Vietnam War Veteran. But his intentions become marred by his increasingly close relationship with the cult’s leader, and a growing urge to join the group rather than just be an observer.”—Men’s Health “While there have been quite a few novels approaching the subject of cult indoctrination lately, Nicole Cuffy’s literary marvel stands head and shoulders above the rest. A journalist mourning the loss of his father takes a working vacation to California to interview the annoyingly attractive members of a mysterious cult that may or may not be its own religion. Meanwhile, flashbacks to the Vietnam War recount the cult’s origins. I’ll have to read this one slowly, for the language deserves to be savored and the philosophical underpinnings take some time to absorb.”—Literary Hub “A fresh, multifaceted perspective . . . a well-guided journey along the boundary between faith and doubt.”—Kirkus Reviews “O Sinners! invites us to be fully and vigorously present for the rhapsodic truths of our lives, including the birth of animals, the death of loved ones, and the home-seeking that occupies our decades. Nicole Cuffy has opened a door into a world where mares and wolves live alongside grief and love and memory, each its own creature, each equally dreamlike and real.”—Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning
