5-Star Book Review: Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling

Michelle Min Sterling’s debut novel, Camp Zero, gives a cold, often bleak look at a possible near-future world where oil has been outlawed and human beings must reckon with the aftermath of destroying nature for millennia. But beyond the descriptions of hurricanes and fires, devastated communities and corporate greed, Ms. Min Sterling has created a story that delves deep into what humans will do for each other when faced with few options.

Why I Loved Camp Zero

Camp Zero is a slow-paced literary achievement, asking for patience from the reader as you explore three points of view in the northern part of Canada. The slowness of the story builds to a crushing climax, making me love it even more. Here are a few reasons why I gave Camp Zero a five-star rating.

• Three Points of View: Rose travels to Camp Zero as a member of the Blooms, a group of companions for the male managers at camp, and has bargained with her previous client that she will secure safety for her mother if she gathers information from the idealistic, out-of-touch architect who thinks he is meant to build a new utopia in the frozen tundra. Then there is Grant, who is escaping his own family and is set on bringing literature and composition to the camp workers, not knowing that threats to survival are more imminent than alluded to in the job posting. And finally, there is the all-knowing White Alice–the unnamed narrator who details how a group of female military operatives and scientists set out to conduct a government experiment in the north and soon discovered more about themselves than expected.
• Structure: Camp Zero‘s story has a fluid structure. At certain points, the timeframe is unclear, but that gives more mystery to the narrators’ experiences. Overall, this helps build the tension in the novel and gives an even stronger payout in the end.
• Themes: Environmentalism and innovation are key themes in Camp Zero, with the underlying messages that humans are responsible for corrupting both and that all will face repercussions for greed and destruction. Family is another strong theme throughout the book. Without giving away too many spoilers, family is a motivation for Rose and Grant to enter Camp Zero; and the choices that all narrators make are influenced by both biological and found families during the novel’s progression. And finally, Ms. Min Sterling gives a strong message about female empowerment in her novel. Rose and the White Alice inhabitants, as well as the Blooms and other female characters, are faced with impossible situations and struggles, and they make decisions with lasting impact.

I loved this novel as it is one that challenged me because of its pace and structure but also engaged my imagination. With fully developed characters and messages, along with impeccable writing, Camp Zero is a debut book that sits high on my list for 2023 great reads, and I look forward to what Ms. Min Sterling writes next.