Summary
Brig newspaper reviews new queer horror novel Camp Damascus, by acclaimed short story writer Chuck Tingle
Shades of Gay is Brig Arts pride month celebration of queer culture, with two articles each week focusing on queer poetry, writing, reviews and artists.
Imagine a warm, lazy summer in a sleepy American town. Swimming in lakes. Walking through cool green woods. Playing truth-or-dare in wooden cabins.
Having visions of monsters. Vomiting up flies.
This is the world that acclaimed novella writer Chuck Tingle brings us in his first ever full-length novel, Camp Damascus.
The story follows Rose, a twenty-year-old woman growing up in the aggressively Christian town of Neverton, Colorado, as a member of the Kingdom of the Pine church. She has friends, she has a community, she has her faith, and she’s happy.
Until she experiences nightmares, hallucinates demons, and starts regurgitating insects. You know, life stuff.
Her search for answers leads her to the mysterious Camp Damascus, the conversion camp on the edge of town that boasts a 100% success rate.
Now, I could attempt to box Camp Damascus into a genre , but I wouldn’t have the first idea where to start. There’s body horror, gore, action, adventure, and a slightly surreal sci-fi edge. Not to mention a heartbreakingly adorable (and refreshingly sex-free) romantic subplot that winds through the whole tale.
I don’t really know what it is. And that is precisely what makes it great.
Rose is a strong, intelligent, funny, and incredibly well-rounded character (honestly, all the characters are). Her exploration, and acceptance, of her attraction towards women is intensely relatable, not to mention incredibly sweet.
Tingle also does a great job of exploring a common nightmare, and all-too-often harsh reality for queer people. The thought of coming out costing you your friends, your family, your community. Having to completely start over and figure out how to live all over again.
But Rose, pushing on, finding her people, and doing some real good, gives readers hope that a happy, free, and authentic life is possible.
Now, I won’t lie to you. The sheer volume of story packed into the book’s 336 pages does cause some pacing problems. The book has some rapid scene shifts, as well as the occasional flashback or time-jump that can leave the story feeling a bit disjointed.
However, it kind of works. Sure, the story can get messy and a bit weird. However, it is the author’s first full-length book, so I find myself in a forgiving mood.
For me, the chaos actually lends itself to the story pretty well. After all, the road to self-acceptance is messy and a bit weird. Especially when you have to fight off demons, in whatever form they take.
It doesn’t change the fact that Camp Damascus is a thrilling, tense, and utterly unique take on horror, religion, self-discovery, finding your own community and growing up gay. Fans of queer horror will not read this book, they will devour it.
Featured Image Credit: Ben Macswan
