FANTASTIC FRIDAY: Camp So-And-So by Mary McCoy
ABOUT THE BOOK
The letters went out in mid-February. Each letter invited its recipient to spend a week at Camp So-and-So, a lakeside retreat for girls nestled high in the Starveling Mountains. Each letter came with a glossy brochure with photographs of young women climbing rocks, performing Shakespearean theatre under the stars, and spiking volleyballs. Each letter was signed in ink by the famed and reclusive businessman and philanthropist, Inge F. Yancey IV.
By the end of the month, twenty-five applications had been completed, signed, and mailed to a post office box in an obscure Appalachian town.
Had any of these girls tried to follow the directions in the brochure and visit the camp for themselves on that day in February, they would have discovered that there was no such town and no such mountain and that no one within a fifty-mile radius had ever heard of Camp So-and-So.
REVIEW
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but the description rather intrigued me. And the book certainly didn't disappoint in that regard. The plotting here is masterful as the author tells the story through the eyes of an unknown narrator (unknown until the end that is) with plenty of side comments from said narrator that leave you wondering exactly who this person (?) is. And that doesn't even count the five other story lines, one for each cabin of girls at the camp, each of which takes on a life of its own, until each of the individual story lines comes together at the end.
With 25 girls as well as Tania and her minions who live at a leadership camp across from Camp So-and-So, not to mention Robin, the assistant camp director, as well as the mysterious Inge F. Yancey IV and the mysterious narrator, there are numerous characters to try to keep track of here. Because of the large number of characters, all of whom play a significant part in the story, this book works best for more experienced readers who can manage to keep track of what happens to and with all the different characters, especially since some of the characters aren't even given names.
It's clear from relatively early in the story that there are some supernatural elements at play in the story. This gives the story a rather creepy, mysterious atmosphere. And the complicated collection of events and events makes the book one that is almost impossible to predict. I can safely say that I've never read a book quite like this one.
In terms of content, there is some kissing (girl/girl, girl/boy) as well as a moderate amount of violence (several deaths and almost deaths occur).
All in all though this is a book to share with readers who enjoy the spooky, the odd, and the weird. Even the ending isn't quite what one would expect. This one could make for a pretty awesome book talk.
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