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A review by discarded_dust_jacket
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I have so many thoughts about this book; I’m having trouble collecting them for presentation in a way that makes sense, and doesn’t just sound like manic, incoherent rambling.
Having been raised Evangelical, this hit particularly close to home, especially in the way that it depicts the type of psychological conditioning and manipulation employed by the Church as a means of control.
For instance, the genuine fear and distrust of one’s own thoughts and natural impulses; the constant sense of being surveilled by some unseen entity, be it God or Satan (who is always on the prowl for an opening to possess your soul); the looming threat of eternal damnation; the discouragement of curiosity for the sake of remaining ignorant and dependent on faith; etc.
This book does such a good job of portraying the slow, unsettling experience of beginning to notice how the things around you—that you’ve accepted as normal your entire life—suddenly seem wrong, ridiculous, or at worst, downright sinister. It also addresses the various ways someone who grew up in the church, then left it, might grapple with a) their relationship with God/faith, and b) their guilt over their involvement with the Church at all. (It reminds me of that “I’m sorry for the things I said as an Evangelical teenager” photo that went viral.)
Most importantly, this is a book about regaining one’s autonomy and sense of self. I LOVED that about it.
But while I enjoy stories that hold up a mirror to my own trauma because I find them validating, I also recognize that this book depicts a horror that some people have actually lived: conversion therapy camp. So I understand if that’s just too much for some folks.
Having been raised Evangelical, this hit particularly close to home, especially in the way that it depicts the type of psychological conditioning and manipulation employed by the Church as a means of control.
For instance, the genuine fear and distrust of one’s own thoughts and natural impulses; the constant sense of being surveilled by some unseen entity, be it God or Satan (who is always on the prowl for an opening to possess your soul); the looming threat of eternal damnation; the discouragement of curiosity for the sake of remaining ignorant and dependent on faith; etc.
This book does such a good job of portraying the slow, unsettling experience of beginning to notice how the things around you—that you’ve accepted as normal your entire life—suddenly seem wrong, ridiculous, or at worst, downright sinister. It also addresses the various ways someone who grew up in the church, then left it, might grapple with a) their relationship with God/faith, and b) their guilt over their involvement with the Church at all. (It reminds me of that “I’m sorry for the things I said as an Evangelical teenager” photo that went viral.)
Most importantly, this is a book about regaining one’s autonomy and sense of self. I LOVED that about it.
But while I enjoy stories that hold up a mirror to my own trauma because I find them validating, I also recognize that this book depicts a horror that some people have actually lived: conversion therapy camp. So I understand if that’s just too much for some folks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Car accident, Death, Homophobia, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Drug use, and Gun violence
Minor: Alcohol, Confinement, and Kidnapping