Review
4 to 4.5 STARS
Cameron Post is a young girl living in a small town in Montana, in the late 80s-early 90s. During one hot summer day, on a dare, Cameron shares a kiss with her best friend, Irene, this makes her feel guilty and scared, but also excited. Soon after, during a sleepover at Irene’s, Cameron receives the news that her parents died in a car crash.
Cameron feels guilty, she begins to wonder if her parents knew about her actions and if that could have any influence on their fatal accident. She tries to reconcile these feelings of guilt with the realization that she likes girls and also the implications of being a lesbian in her very religious and conservative town.
(minor spoilers ahead!)
We follow Cameron’s self-discovery, the confusion, tension and pressures of living in such environment while also being aware of a different reality (knowledge provided by Lindsey, a girl from Seattle, who elucidates Cameron on acceptance and pride, which are viewed as sin in her hometown).
We also follow her first crush, sexual experimentation and first love which leads to one of the first heart-wrenching moments of the novel that happens when Cameron is outed and her aunt decides to send her away to a religious camp where they “cure” homosexuality.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, gives a candid approach to subjects like identity, sexuality and religion, it delivers a heavy dose of reality and serves as a reminder of how devastating can be the consequences of forcing a person to deny his/her own identity.
I really liked this book, the writing is very vivid and the first moments of the novel reminded me of my own childhood, living in a small town, when the summers seemed endless, it was also very easy to empathize with the protagonist. While its length and slow pace can be challenging for the reader, it is important to recognize the relevance of the story, its message and inspirational quality.
A really moving, meaningful, realistic coming-of-age story.
[book trailer]
Cameron Post is a young girl living in a small town in Montana, in the late 80s-early 90s. During one hot summer day, on a dare, Cameron shares a kiss with her best friend, Irene, this makes her feel guilty and scared, but also excited. Soon after, during a sleepover at Irene’s, Cameron receives the news that her parents died in a car crash.
Cameron feels guilty, she begins to wonder if her parents knew about her actions and if that could have any influence on their fatal accident. She tries to reconcile these feelings of guilt with the realization that she likes girls and also the implications of being a lesbian in her very religious and conservative town.
How could I pretend to be a victim when I was so willing to sin?
(minor spoilers ahead!)
We follow Cameron’s self-discovery, the confusion, tension and pressures of living in such environment while also being aware of a different reality (knowledge provided by Lindsey, a girl from Seattle, who elucidates Cameron on acceptance and pride, which are viewed as sin in her hometown).
We also follow her first crush, sexual experimentation and first love which leads to one of the first heart-wrenching moments of the novel that happens when Cameron is outed and her aunt decides to send her away to a religious camp where they “cure” homosexuality.
I told myself that I didn't need any of that shit, but there it was, repeated to me day after day after day. And when you're surrounded by a bunch of mostly strangers experiencing the same thing, unable to call home, tethered to routine on ranchland miles away from anybody who might have known you before, might have been able to recognize the real you if you told them you couldn't remember who she was, it's not really like being real at all. It's plastic living. It's living in a diorama. It's living the life of one of those prehistoric insects encased in amber: suspended, frozen, dead but not, you don't know for sure.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, gives a candid approach to subjects like identity, sexuality and religion, it delivers a heavy dose of reality and serves as a reminder of how devastating can be the consequences of forcing a person to deny his/her own identity.
I really liked this book, the writing is very vivid and the first moments of the novel reminded me of my own childhood, living in a small town, when the summers seemed endless, it was also very easy to empathize with the protagonist. While its length and slow pace can be challenging for the reader, it is important to recognize the relevance of the story, its message and inspirational quality.
A really moving, meaningful, realistic coming-of-age story.
I just liked girls because I couldn't help not to.
[book trailer]
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