Two jade rings in particular, passed down by her mother, serve as a direct line and source of comfort. Ms. Kwon, an award-winning author, wanted to be a Christian pastor or a religious recluse when she was growing up. She had, as she put it, “what felt like a conversation with the Lord going.” But she lost her faith as a teenager. Now, in her writing, Ms. Kwon explores the challenge of questioning long-held beliefs. Her first novel, “The Incendiaries,” tackled religion, while her second, “Exhibit,” out last month, is about hidden desire.

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