First published 2016
Camp Shelter sits amid the rugged landscape of West Virginia in August 1963. What appears to be a typical summer retreat for children quickly reveals itself as something far more troubling. The bright days of vacation grow heavy with family secrets and hidden dangers that threaten to overwhelm the young campers. The camp's name proves bitterly ironic as it fails repeatedly to provide the safety it promises. Beyond the camp boundaries, menacing events unfold that cast long shadows over the seemingly innocent setting. Phillips follows her characters through the treacherous passage from childhood to adulthood. The wilderness around them mirrors the impenetrable confusion of growing up, where evil and terror wait in unexpected places. The children must navigate not only the physical landscape of West Virginia but also the emotional terrain of family dysfunction and personal revelation.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, mystery, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Camp Shelter, West Virginia
Period: 1963
Paperback · FISCHER Taschenbuch
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, emotional-abuse, physical-abuse