by Emily Danforth
4 out of 5 stars
Another reviewer noted that this
book reads more like an adult novel than YA, and I have to agree. Danforth did
an amazing job of capturing the era, the mood of sun-drenched summer days, and
the turmoil that goes along with that whole “coming of age” scene. Newly
orphaned, newly awakened to “forbidden” feelings, and isolated in a small
Montana town, it’s somewhat of a miracle that Cameron Post gets out of bed in
the morning. In fact, the circumstances in Cameron’s life early on and how she
truly felt were a bit underplayed, so I was left wondering how she was going to
pull through. But she does, and the ensuing struggles to be “normal” when she’s
feeling anything but make for a poignant story.
Danforth’s writing is a pleasure
to read and at times beautiful without hitting you over the head with schmaltz.
Cameron herself is the kind of kid I would have enjoyed as a best friend
growing up. Relationships with her friends felt a little two dimensional at
times, but then again, you could attribute that to her ongoing emotional
turmoil. It’s kind of hard to forge connections when you’re constantly on guard
and questioning your own soul, let alone being betrayed by someone you love.
So, I take that back. I guess I was hoping for a little more introspection,
given the book is written in the first person.
As the years go by, Cameron
muddles through, and some of the people she meets later were among my favorites
– particularly Jane Fonda, the wise, one-legged, pot growing, camera-toting
camper at the “ex gay” camp that Cameron’s ridiculous Aunt Ruth sends Cameron
to for “fixing.” As expected, there are more characters than Cameron who end up
being fixed, or at least learning a lesson or two. And Cameron herself figures
out that people who mean well can still be fucking idiots and that questioning
authority is not only OK, sometimes it’s necessary. On the feel-good side, she
also learns how to celebrate the nuances of love and its many forms and what it
means to both give and receive friendship. Highly recommend.
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