#emilymdanforth

Author: Emily M. Danforth

Published by: Penguin Books

Pages: 470

Format: Paperback

My Rating ★★ ★1/2

The night Cameron Post’s parents died, her first emotion was relief. Relief they would never know that hours earlier, she’d been kissing a girl. 

Now living with her conservative aunt in small-town Montana, hiding her sexuality and blending in becomes second nature to Cameron until she begins an intense friendship with the beautiful Coley Taylor.

Desperate to ‘correct’ her niece, Cameron’s aunt takes drastic action.

Now Cameron must battle with the cost of being her true self - even if she’s not completely sure who that is.

My thoughts:

The Miseducation of Cameron Post was a bit of a slow burn for me, but ultimately I found it to be a really intriguing, emotional and insightful book that I’m glad to have read.

Danforth’s coming-of-age novel is about main character, Cameron Post, who loses her parents at the beginning of the story and spends a long time coming to terms with her sexuality, whilst growing up in rural Montana. The setting felt perfect for the plot, and the author paints a beautiful picture of rural Montana and Cameron’s childhood there. Some readers have commented that they felt the book was a little slow or too descriptive, but I actually really enjoyed the pacing and felt the descriptive writing complimented the realism and believability of Cameron’s story. The whole book has a really 90’s teen vibe and the writing is immersive and absorbing.

The characters are undoubtedly the strongest element of the book. Firstly, they are all very diverse, offering varying backgrounds and interesting backstories. In particular, the other ‘disciples’ Cameron interacts with at God’s Promise Christian school each have very compelling and unique personalities. The bond between these characters also feels authentic and genuine, given that they’re all living in such a strange place and battling with their emotions on a daily basis. There are many moments of teenage bonding and in these scenes the reader gets an insight into Cameron’s natural personality.

Admittedly, Cameron did feel a little flat for the first part of the book, but it got better. She is such a complex character and after a while I found I was able to warm to her a little more. Cameron has a really strong voice as the narrator, and her sarcasm and sense of humour really shines through despite her struggles. She deals with so much whilst still on the brink of womanhood, and her story is quiet yet certainly moving. However, the strongest and most memorable character connections, in my opinion, were the ones Cameron is introduced in the second half.

I loved the friendships she built with the other students, most notably with Adam and Jane. This is during her time at a conversion camp, where Cameron is told that her same-sex attraction is sinful and reversible.

Throughout reading, I had a real sense that this is indeed a powerful novel. It is the type of story that creeps up on you; the prose keeps you flipping the pages, but the emotional impact comes later upon reflection. The story is told beautifully, honestly, and lovingly, and the author clearly has a wonderful writing style. It was so easy to get completely submerged in her writing. I’m not going to give too much away, but I also enjoyed the ending and felt it was very fitting and poignant to Cameron’s life story. I only wish we could know a little more about how things go for her beyond those last few pages.  

Allowing myself to really absorb and get lost in the plot, I was immersed from start to finish and found this to be another really enjoyable read. The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a wonderful and thought-provoking literary debut about discovering who you are and finding the courage to live life according to your own rules. I also feel that friendship is a really key theme throughout the story. It is a book that captures the innocence of childhood, the despair of grief and the heartbreak of first love. I enjoyed it a lot and found it an interesting read.

Overall reaction: