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A review by bookph1le
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
3.0
This is a well-drawn, scenic book that really made me think. It didn't quite have the impact I had thought it would, probably because Cameron's personality is so different from mine that I didn't connect with her as much as I would have liked, even though I did sympathize with her. Some spoilers to follow.
Cameron is a complicated character who engages in a lot of risky behavior (drugs, alcohol, stealing, etc.). While I admired the complexity of her character and the fact that she was so human, I didn't really get the impression that she'd learned much from her own mistakes. She certainly doesn't deserve what happens to her, but I would have liked to see more introspection on her part.
I thought many of the characters were well done, especially Jane and Adam. I really liked Cameron's grandma, even though I was disappointed in her. Aunt Ruth was also well developed, but I completely despised her. Less interesting to me were the characters in Cameron's hometown, maybe because they felt more superficial. They weren't bad, but mostly they felt like they were there to move the plot along.
In an interesting twist, it's fascinating to see how Jane and, later, Cameron have more compassion and understanding for the perspectives of others than do the supposedly good characters. Both understand that Ruth and others like her are convinced that they're doing the right thing--but that didn't make me feel sympathetic toward them. Evil acts committed with good intentions are still evil acts.
And what happens in this book is evil, one of the most sinister kinds of evil, because people who do these things are often so deluded that they can't see the harm they're doing. They're causing psychological damage to young people who are already struggling with discrimination and hostility, all in the name of "curing" them.
This is what makes the portions of the book that take place in Promise the most powerful, especially with regard to what happens to Mark. In some ways, though, Mark's tragedy isn't even the worst of it, when the chilling disregard of the state investigators, of Lydia, and even Reverend Rick, are taken into account.
Really, this is a beautifully written and compelling novel. Had I identified with Cameron a bit more it would have been perfect. Still, I'd love to read more literary, thoughtful YA books like this in the future.
Cameron is a complicated character who engages in a lot of risky behavior (drugs, alcohol, stealing, etc.). While I admired the complexity of her character and the fact that she was so human, I didn't really get the impression that she'd learned much from her own mistakes. She certainly doesn't deserve what happens to her, but I would have liked to see more introspection on her part.
I thought many of the characters were well done, especially Jane and Adam. I really liked Cameron's grandma, even though I was disappointed in her. Aunt Ruth was also well developed, but I completely despised her. Less interesting to me were the characters in Cameron's hometown, maybe because they felt more superficial. They weren't bad, but mostly they felt like they were there to move the plot along.
In an interesting twist, it's fascinating to see how Jane and, later, Cameron have more compassion and understanding for the perspectives of others than do the supposedly good characters. Both understand that Ruth and others like her are convinced that they're doing the right thing--but that didn't make me feel sympathetic toward them. Evil acts committed with good intentions are still evil acts.
And what happens in this book is evil, one of the most sinister kinds of evil, because people who do these things are often so deluded that they can't see the harm they're doing. They're causing psychological damage to young people who are already struggling with discrimination and hostility, all in the name of "curing" them.
This is what makes the portions of the book that take place in Promise the most powerful, especially with regard to what happens to Mark. In some ways, though, Mark's tragedy isn't even the worst of it, when the chilling disregard of the state investigators, of Lydia, and even Reverend Rick, are taken into account.
Really, this is a beautifully written and compelling novel. Had I identified with Cameron a bit more it would have been perfect. Still, I'd love to read more literary, thoughtful YA books like this in the future.