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Camp Damascus
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
38 posts | 30 read | 7 to read
A Most Anticipated Book by GoodReads, LitHub, CrimeReads, Electric Lit, BookPage and more! �A joyful, furious romp through dark places, Tingle proves he's as good at fear as he is at love.� ?T. Kingfisher, bestselling author of What (…more)
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review
gossamerchild
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

Finished this this weekend for my book club. Really appropriate timing, and super satisfying for my need for justice and retribution. Recommended, especially right now in the US.

#lgbtqia

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chessgrins
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
Pickpick

Love! I‘ve been trying horror as an adult recently and this was the perfect title for that. The religious trauma was so well done. The fears of someone who is queer and attends church/has a lot of faith were so similar to how I felt when I started my own journey to self discovery.

Seriously creepy and seriously amazing! Have recommended to others and they have also loved it.

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britt_brooke
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Social commentary mixed with horror may seem like an odd combination, but honestly, it makes sense. Literal name-tag wearing demons are tasked with aiding in coercive conversion therapy. The realistic parts are the true terror. Other small details are a bit gag-worthy. Mayflies will never be viewed the same again. A solid read by an author whose real name is unknown. He seems an interesting fellow, indeed.

TieDyeDude I am fascinated with this guy. I read a couple of his short stories, but I'd like to dig into his long fiction. Thanks for the review! 2mo
britt_brooke @TieDyeDude He‘s so intriguing! My first exposure to him was one Christmas when two of my Nashville Litten friends gag gifted the exact same dinosaur erotica to each other … and they were his books. 😂 This one was well thought out. I‘m hoping to get to Bury Your Gays soon. 2mo
60 likes2 comments
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britt_brooke
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Spooky season school car rider line accessories. Not pictured, but always present, is my good boy, Champ.

BooknerdsLife Love your booksleeve 😍😍 3mo
britt_brooke @BooknerdsLife Thank you! It was a gift from @Megabooks a few years ago. 🖤 3mo
dabbe Hi, Champ! 🖤🐾🖤 3mo
britt_brooke @dabbe 🐶🐾 3mo
60 likes4 comments
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NotCool
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

A solid horror novel. A Christian evangelical cult has the most successful gay conversion camp ever. By which I mean, it‘s not successful at all, but they do open portals to hell.

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Eggbeater
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

The real horror of the gay conversion camp was the doctrine and the prejudice of the church members and not the supernatural terrors. Which was, I guess, the point. The book made lots of good points. The writing seemed just a little immature at times.
3.5 ⭐️s

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BookwormAHN
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

A creepy story about a Christian conversion camp that is truly evil.
Rose lives in this severely religious community and thinks everything is going well until she starts literally seeing demons 😈

Reggie The little games her mother played with her were awful. The scenarios. 5mo
47 likes1 comment
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JoeMo
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

This is the first Tingle book I‘ve read. It‘s surprisingly serious compared to much of his work. I found the book to be creative and frightening in the sense that I could see certain conservative groups implementing this kind of strategy to prevent people from living authentic, LGBTQ lives. We‘ll just say it makes conversion therapy look like amateur hour. I think Tingle landed the ending well, which I find rare in general and especially horror.

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 5mo
28 likes2 comments
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JoieFatale
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
Pickpick

Mostly a pick, but i did find the ending conclusions made by the MC the soso part.
I‘m not a happy endings MUST be the conclusion for all books. In fact, this book does have a generally happy ending…but it also felt hopeless?
Overall though, I liked it. Again, personally I wanted simmering more in the end. But I do recommend it as a great horror romp!
(I genuinely thinks it was great!)

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Reggie
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

Book # 4 for #24in24. This made me sad. I hate when kids are the victims of adult bigotry. We follow Rose Darling a 20yo member of The Kingdom of the Pine religion. Their claim to fame is Camp Damascus, a conversion camp with major results. It‘s funny because most of the book doesn‘t even take place there but it is no less compelling. Rose Darling starts to see scary apparitions and throws up mayflies every so often. What could be wrong? Pick!

Jas16 What could be wrong indeed? You always make me curious about books I know I should never read. 10mo
Bookzombie Great review! 10mo
Reggie @Jas16 one day I will convince you to come to the dark side! 😁 10mo
See All 6 Comments
Reggie @Bookzombie I thought of you when they tell that Saul he was in a cult. He says we don‘t believe in anything that crazy. We‘re just like all the other religions with just small differences on how we interpret a book. AND the game the mom played with her giving Rose the scenarios around the neighborhood. What a sicko! 10mo
vivastory Lol love your see no evil hear no evil speak no evil zombies 10mo
Reggie @vivastory I‘m trying to keep it fresh with these rotting zombies. 🧟 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ 10mo
65 likes6 comments
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Reagan
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Loved it! Book 74 in 2023. Gay conversion camp horror and it was SO GOOD! Very clever and never really expected what came next.

Rose Darling is a devout follower of her church in small town Montana. But she starts questioning her faith and seeing some pretty creepy shit.

I thought it was really clever and very well written! I‘ll definitely read more Chuck Tingle horror if it arrives. I would consider this horror lite. Not too spooky.

Nessavamusic Great book! 12mo
30 likes1 comment
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Reagan
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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I had heard of Chuck Tingle but this is my first time reading and this is really good so far. Gay conversion camp horror. I am not a religious person, so I can‘t say with certainty but it sure seems like he‘s really hit all the right notes. Hoping to finish for the weekend!

readingjedi I've not read this book nor heard of the author before, but I have to say Chuck Tingle is an amazing name!!! 12mo
Reggie His novella I think called Straight is soooo good. 12mo
ChaoticMissAdventures I know he is a huge gay writer and I always laugh when his name comes up but I haven't tried any of his books, happy to see him about here! 12mo
33 likes3 comments
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Bookzombie
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

This seems incorrectly marketed as adult horror, as it feels like YA. I like YA so not a problem. I thought Tingle would follow a certain path for the story and when he didn‘t I was a little confused. I also think there might have been a pacing issue at times and that it possibly could have been tightened up some. Even so, I liked this. I don‘t want to say I enjoyed it because when you pull back the horror elements, this is just about truly ⬇️

Bookzombie fucked up and disturbing beliefs and the trauma they create. I also might have liked an epilogue for this one. **Read in November 13mo
Reggie Have you ever seen Squid Game? There‘s this original Korean series and now there‘s this Challenge reality series based off the original series. So there‘s all these people and you get to know them and there‘s this one you don‘t find about through halfway and everytime they showed him I was like oh he‘s probably some Amish shunned dude but turns out he‘s this gay guy who was raised to hate himself and when he found out he was gay he lost his family 13mo
Reggie Great review. 13mo
See All 7 Comments
Bookzombie @Reggie I keep forgetting about watching Squid Game. That‘s awful about that character. Thanks about the review. I had a hard time reviewing it. I have issues with religion and I‘m not 100% sure where it all comes from. The fucking church in this book is called Kingdom of the Pine and that just makes me shudder. Sorry if that was too much. 🙂 13mo
Reggie @Bookzombie my whole family subscribes to a religion that does not deem me human enough to perform marriages for gay people. And there are times I sit with that and wonder if they think so great of me why are they still Catholics. And just to be clear I would never ultimatum them but I just think about it sometimes. I get it. A lot of death and hate has happened cause of religion. 13mo
Reggie So I‘m on page 80 of this and we‘re not at Damascus…..buuuuut I have this feeling we‘ve already been there. And you‘re right.. it does have pacing issues because I think he‘s being too wordy. I‘m enjoying it but now that she met that girl who knows her I‘m sad for her. Also the neck snapping in the closet was Crayyyy-Zeeee! 10mo
Bookzombie @Reggie I see you finished it and you‘re right it did make me sad too. Yes, what happened in the closet was crazy and at the hospital. Did you want an epilogue too or was that just me? I‘m happy it was a pick for you too. 10mo
47 likes7 comments
review
sakeriver
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
Pickpick

I‘ve known for years now that I‘m almost certainly autistic. And I‘ve had the powerful experience of seeing aspects of myself represented in fiction that I‘d gone a lifetime without seeing before—Celeste Ng did that for me as an Asian American. But it still surprised me how moving and affirming it was to read a book like this, one with an autistic protagonist. I‘ve appreciated Chuck Tingle for a long time now, and I‘m so glad this book exists.

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Reagan
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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I‘m so so excited! A day when my toughest choice is knitting or reading is a good day!

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sakeriver
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Next

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Schwifty
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

I‘ve known about Chuck Tingle for 9 years now and initially, he was good for a bunch of laughs scrolling through his Amazon catalogue and a fun party gag or inappropriate gift, but it seems he‘s ventured into serious horror. I was a bit skeptical at first that this wouldn‘t have some gay dinosaur or inanimate object love carefully hidden within, but no, it was a well constructed horror novel about the fucked-up nature of gay conversion camps.

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BeeMagical
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

Book 185🎧 3.3⭐️

Some great LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent representation in this one👏🏻

Wasn‘t quite as creepy as I was expecting, although I didn‘t care for the throwing up of Shad-flies (May Flys)😂

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Coueriamb
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Kinda cheating a little but the cover is mostly orange shades!

I‘m super excited to get into this one this weekend!

#scarathon #scarathonphotochallenge #teamBOOklovers

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Nessavamusic
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

This was a really entertaining original horror novel from the king of quirky gay erotica. This features a 20 year old woman who is part of a Christian community that starts to have some weird physical reactions and starting to have some random flashes of memory that lead her to unlocking a dark secret connected to her community‘s famous conversion camp. Obviously, this could have some triggers but it could also could be greatly cathartic.⬇️

40 likes4 comments
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Nelnjali
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

4.5⭐ I was pleasantly surprised by this audiobook. I have heard of Chuck Tingle because of his ridiculous erotica, but I've never actually read more than small passages. I was intrigued when I learned of his foray into horror, and I was not disappointed. (cont'd.)

Nelnjali This was a thoroughly frightening and dark book creating literal horror around the horrific practice of “conversion therapy.“ The book is not inherently funny; in fact, much of it is horrific, but it has a similar tone to dark comedy movies in the sense that it has a clear message and portrays it through what would be campy horror if it wasn't so well written and, at times, disturbing. (cont'd.)
1y
19 likes2 comments
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Addison_Reads
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Mehso-so

While I applaud the author for the creativity of the premise for this book, the execution for me was just a hot mess.

I wanted to love this because it has a lot of things I crave in a good horror/thriller, but I just couldn't stay engaged with the story because it was all over the place. 😕

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GidgetsTreasures75
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

8-27-23: My 82nd finished book of 2023! Rose Darling is a member of the Church of the Pine in Neverton, Montana. Life starts getting weird after a friends party goes awry. Then a life altering collision brings memories back that change everything. The Church of the Pine owns Camp Damascus, the worlds most effective gay conversion camp, run by Pastor Bend, and he must be stopped. Horrific in its imagery and ideas, this one makes you angry.

GidgetsTreasures75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣8️⃣2️⃣ 1y
17 likes1 comment
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5feet.of.fury
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

Loved the metaphor & the action, 🌈 & autism representation. It was a really fun ride, with some gross & horrifying moments.

Figured I‘d show off my deathmoth earrings, there‘s a lot bugs in this one 😂

dabbe Love your hair, too! 🤩🤩🤩 1y
36 likes1 comment
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5feet.of.fury
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Oh good, it‘s time for #20in4 !!! @Andrew65
I‘m behind on a #lmpbc book would love to be able to mail it out Monday, I‘m behind on #Losersclub
Karin has a new book out, I have 2 audiobooks due back soon! Definitely have had some life challenges that have demanded my attention, and that‘s ok, but I‘m going to take advantage of a break in the chaos and get caught up.

I‘ll be #ReadingWesteros also, of course!

Andrew65 Hope it‘s going well 😁 Great book choices. 1y
34 likes1 comment
review
GerardtheBookworm
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

Notorious scribe Chuck Tingle departs from his subversive, gay erotica, bizarro fiction to pen a more serious horror novel. Using the metaphor of gay conversion therapy at the aforementioned Camp Damascus, this is a story of religious trauma and marginalizing specific groups through corruption and suppression.

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Branwen
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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“The point is, I was doing all these things because God said it was right. My whole life, that was always the motivation, but is that real genuine good? Is something righteous if you're doing it because you're worried about getting punished? I want to do something good. Not out of fear of punishment, or because someone else told me it was the right thing. I want to do something good for goodness' sake.“

40 likes1 stack add
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Branwen
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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“They may be ruthless and single minded, but they're not doing this out of hate,“ Saul continues. “At least, they don't think they are. They're doing it out of a sick, ass-backward love.“

“Either way, I don't wanna be a part of it,“ I proclaim.

Saul just nods, smiling to himself. “I'm just not okay with letting them define God's love. This is my little way of doing something about it.“

See my thoughts on this quote below in the comments!

Branwen Despite the extreme violence that is perpetrated by the religious community in this book, I also really love that Tingle doesn't condemn religion as a whole or bash everyone who believes. That would be a simple answer to what's going on in this story, but instead he gives us even more to consider. One of the strongest characters in this book is Rose's friend and fellow campmate, Saul, who decides that despite everything that was still done to him, 1y
Branwen he chooses to continue to believe in God because he doesn't want the toxic believers to taint what he believes is the actual message of God - which is love, not punishment. Wow. This shouldn't have been so illuminating, but it really was, at least to me! (edited) 1y
32 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Branwen
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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“According to the congregation, my sin outweighs any discomfort about demonic collaboration, and while this might seem like impossible mental gymnastics to outsiders, it makes perfect sense to me. It's hardly the worst thing organized religion has come up with.“

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Branwen
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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“Slowly disconnecting from your community - from your family - is difficult, and while it seems like unearthing their sinister motives and dark secrets might make the process easier, it will never entirely quell the pain.“

5feet.of.fury I‘m reading this one right now too! 1y
25 likes1 comment
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Branwen
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

Wow. Chuck Tingle has written a deeply introspective, poignant, harrowing, empowering, and truly terrifying novel. Yes, you heard me. CHUCK TINGLE WROTE THIS AND IT'S AMAZING!

I have a lot of thoughts about this book, so read the rest of my opinions in the comments below... 👇👇👇

Branwen Essentially, it's about a religious cult in a small town that has a conversion camp for gay people that has a 100% success rate. How do they have such a perfect success rate? (especially since conversion therapy has been scientifically proven to be extremely harmful) Why, the cult summons demons to terrify its patients into compliance of course! While the actual demons are terrifying, the true horrors in this book reside in the toxic community... 1y
Branwen I really loved and enjoyed reading about Rose's journey, and found this book to be absolutely illuminating, thought provoking, and just a really enjoyable time.

If you have experienced religious trauma of any kind, or have deconstructed from your faith, or are in the PROCESS of deconstructing your faith, this book will be extremely triggering - but in a cathartic way, if that makes sense. Be kind to yourself while reading.
1y
Branwen Despite the dark nature of this book, I actually found it to be extremely comforting, cathartic, and empowering. This book has moved me to tears on multiple occasions. Why? Because the protagonist chooses to live her life according to her own terms and attempts to burn the whole toxic system to the ground. I felt that this overall message and theme just really resonated with me. 1y
See All 6 Comments
Branwen And last but not least, the autistic representation in this book was absolutely spot on and incredible. I wasn't expecting that at all, but it was a really welcome addition! 1y
Clare-Dragonfly Wow, this sounds amazing! I‘ve tried Chuck Tingle‘s erotica and didn‘t like his writing style, but I might have to check this one out. 1y
Branwen @Clare-Dragonfly I haven't actually read any of his erotica, although I do like to scan the titles of some of them when I'm having a bad day and need a smile! 😂 But this book was surprisingly well written! 1y
45 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Branwen
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Oh boy....😂 My hold for this book finally came in! I'm excited but also terrified at the same time! I still can't get over the fact that Chuck Tingle has written a proper book, and a horror book no less! 😱

BookwormM What not dino porn 🤣🤣 1y
BeeMagical Oooooo I want to read this one so bad! 1y
Branwen @BookwormM BAHAHAHA! 😂 😂 1y
Branwen @BeeMagical RIGHT?! It looks so intriguing! 1y
42 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
deirdrebeecher
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

I think if you come into this with the right expectations most will enjoy this book. Is it the book of the year, no. But it is an easy to read, enjoyable hero. What elevates it is the perspective on the cruel practice of conversion therapy. Which I think we have gotten used to treating as a joke, because it is so ludicrous. And Chuck reframes that to what it really is for the vulnerable teens who are subjected to it, a horror story. Soft pick.

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Gnora
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Sara_Planz
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Pickpick

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!!! Chuck Tingle takes the real life horrors of a gay conversion camp and turns it into literal demonic horror. One of my favorite things about this genre is body horror and I could feel my skin crawl in several scenes in this book. Queer and downright original, this quick read will both traumatize and empower you at the same time!

42 likes1 stack add
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julesG
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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Panpan

Rose, 20 years old on Autism spectrum, lives in a small town in Montana which is famous for the gay conversion camp her Christian Community created. Young gay people are brought to Camp Damascus to "Love right!"

Through a few body horror moments, demon sightings, and an accident, Rose is suddenly aware that she must have been at Camp, but can't remember it. She is determined to find out more.

Reads like YA horror, including happy-ish ending.

Andrew65 Oh no, hate to see pans during readathons 😔 Hope the next one is better. 1y
67 likes2 comments
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julesG
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

"You've got no shadow," Martina informs me, gazing down at my feet and then shifting her eyes back up to mine.

#NetGalley #ARC #MountARC
#JubilantJuly @Andrew65

Andrew65 An intriguing opening line. 1y
52 likes1 comment
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TheSpineView
Camp Damascus | Chuck Tingle
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#Movie2BookRecs @Klou
Movie: Vacancy

Klou Good choice! That's a new release, right? 1y
TheSpineView @Klou Yes. Pub date is July 18 1y
46 likes2 comments