What’s Camp Sundown all about?:
In the outlandishly dark “Camp Sundown” vigilante justice is undertaken by a group of geriatric campers in a bucolic summer enclave.
What did I think?:
Camp Sundown has to be one of my favourites in this collection, the subject matter is fairly dark (which I love!) and the writing so compelling that I found myself really caring about what happened to these characters, despite having “known” them only a short space of time. Nathan Englander’s main character is Josh who is the new director at a Jewish summer camp for the elderly and replacing Rabbi Himmelman who was rumoured to have left under suspicious circumstances i.e. a bit of inappropriate fondling. Josh is enjoying his time managing the camp but this year is having a bit of an issue with two residents in particular, seventy-six year old Agnes Brown and her sidekick Arnie who appear to make a habit of complaining about something every year that they stay there.
This year however their complaint is of a more serious nature, accusing one of their fellow residents, Doley Falk of being a Nazi and demanding justice in the form of a camp trial so that he can be formally ostracised. Josh is appalled at their accusation and demands that they leave the old man alone but they are pretty determined, insisting that they recognize his face from one of the concentration camps – Arnie displaying his numbered arm as proof that he was incarcerated in one. What Josh cannot fathom is just how far the elderly residents will be prepared to go in their quest for vengeance and whether these actions are right or wrong.
I find any story involving The Holocaust fascinating and this dark little tale was just that. We are never told whether Doley Falk is in fact a Nazi in hiding but Agnes and Arnie are so insistent that even Josh himself, a fairly tolerant person, finds himself questioning whether Doley is guilty. As with the other stories in this collection I loved learning more about the Jewish religion and really enjoyed the black humor that appears to be Englander’s trademark. The only thing I wasn’t completely certain of was the ending. In one sense it was genius and definitely had the shock factor but on the other side it felt like too much of a cliffhanger and I was frustrated that too many things were left up in the air. I suppose your imagination could fill in the blanks!
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
NEXT SHORT STORY: The Giant’s Boneyard by Lucy Wood from the collection Diving Belles
