The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore / Kim Fu

The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore by Kim Fu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never went to summer camp as a camper—I waited until I was 15 or 16 and went as a camp worker. Kitchen work, mostly, setting out plates & cutlery, setting out food, and washing up afterwards. This book makes me think that I made the right choice.

So often people say that children are so resilient, that they can survive bad events much easier than adults can. I think Kim Fu is telling us that this assumption is wildly optimistic. She seems to prefer the old saying, “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.” Like all authors do, Fu torments her characters to the edge of their ability to bear. I was particularly intrigued by how she envisioned their lives progressing in the aftermath of their disastrous camp experience. All the girls have interesting trajectories, but I must say that I was most entertained by Dina's lack of comprehension of her situation. Her mother's scorn seems to keep her locked into defiance and an adolescent mindset.

The girls belong to wildly different kinds of families and the reader can't help but compare how these very divergent children cope with both the camp situation and subsequent young adulthood. I found myself speculating about what I would have done as a child in the same situation, coming to no firm conclusions. I've survived many challenges, but always got through them by putting one foot in front of the other. Much easier to do as an adult!

This is an engrossing book that gives the reader plenty of issues to think about. If you are looking for a reason to avoid camping, this is your book!


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