Camp Redemption
Raymond Atkins's ability to capture the true cadence and beauty of the human voice is some of the best writing to be found anywhere. A beautiful, honest portrayal of faith and the gift of everlasting love. --River Jordan, author of PRAYING FOR STRANGERSI don't get how Raymond Atkins does it. CAMP REDEMPTION is as irreverent as any book can be, hilariously poking holes in the wind-baggery, Bible-thumpery, holy-rollery, hypocrisy, ignorance, and willful narrow-mindedness of organized and disorganized religion. Yet, through it all, a divine unseen hand is working out its plan. A marvel.--Man Martin, author of PARADISE DOGS and DAYS OF THE ENDLESS CORVETTERaymond L. Atkins once again reflects the South and all its beloved contradictions in his new novel CAMP REDEMPTION. Beautifully crafted. His storytelling is an art form only found in the best Southern literature. --Ann Hite, author of the award winning GHOST ON BLACK MOUNTAINCAMP REDEMPTION is the best novel yet by award-winning Raymond Atkins, one of the most original new authors in the South today. Atkins is a brilliant writer who captivates the reader with his quirky yet lovable characters. Ivey and Early Willingham draw us into their lives, as they draw other characters, like the runaway Jesús and the honorable bootlegger Hugh Don Monfort, into Camp Redemption, as they have dubbed their Georgia home place. Ivey is something of a mystic whose visions consist of visits from the beyond, mostly dead relatives whose forewarnings and advice are spot-on, however bizarre they may sometimes seem to her brother Early. As a result of her visions, they convert their family land into a summer Bible camp and then, as the economy collapses, into a place of refuge for worthy folks in need. I simply couldn't stop reading. The book is at once funny, ironic, poignant, tender, and lyrical. --June Hall McCash, author of A TTITANIC LOVE STORY: IDA AND ISIDOR STRAUS, ALMOST TO EDEN and PLUM ORCHARDThis book has soul. Raymond Atkins has weaved together layer upon layer of brilliant writing with strands of wisdom and humor, creating a unique texture of plot development guaranteed to satisfy any reader. The story, which takes place in a rural Georgia community, touches contemporary issues of religion, immigration, racism, economic hardship, and domestic violence, through the pitch-perfect Southern cadence of rich dialogue and character development. I enjoyed every minute of reading this book. --Catherine McCall is the author of WHEN THE PIANO STOPS and NEVER TELLCAMP REDEMPTION showcases the best of Raymond Atkins s talents in Southern fiction: characters who move in with us, for better or worse; a plot that keeps the pages turning; and the stately, elegant prose of a born storyteller. Alternately hilarious, sad, and downright scary, this is Atkin's best novel yet. And the food! The man writes so well about a hot, buttered biscuit that you ll get fat just reading the words. --Melanie Sumner, author of THE GHOST OF MILAGRO CREEK and THE SCHOOL OF BEAUTY AND CHARMThis book is a riot. Ray Atkins is richly talented and funny as you-know-what. Go ahead and get CAMP REDEMPTION right now. I guarantee that you'll delight in this read as I did. --Lauretta Hannon, author of THE CRACKER QUEEN: A MEMOIR OF A JAGGED, JOYFUL LIFE and named "the funniest woman in Georgia"; by Southern LivingAt once smart and funny, Raymond Atkins s CAMP REDEMPTION is a gripping elegantly told tale that will keep you up reading long into the night. All hail a new master of Southern fiction! --Jeffrey Stepakoff, bestselling author of FIREWORKS OVER TOCCOAIn CAMP REDEMPTION, Ray Atkins twines the romance of Echota Lake s lore of valley enchantment with the colorful folkways of the Willinghams. Early Willingham (who can believe in the --Marly Youmans, A DEATH AT THE WHITE CAMELLIA ORPHANAGE, inaugural winner of the Ferrol Sams Award for FictionIn CAMP REDEMPTION, Ray Atkins twines the romance of Echota Lake s lore of valley enchantment with the colorful folkways of the Willinghams. Early Willingham (who can believe in the magic of the place when he smokes a little Panama Red) negotiates with considerable amusement a life with Ivey (half crackpot relation and half recipient of divine revelation) as their summer bible camp founders and then fills with a wealth of characters. Everything about CAMP REDEMPTION says the novel is a Janus, one head looking toward comedy and local color and the grittiness of daily life in a North Georgia realm of blessed backwardness, the other head peering though not without comedy into regions of the afterlife. --Marly Youmans, A DEATH AT THE WHITE CAMELLIA ORPHANAGE, inaugural winner of the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction