Primal Animals

Summary

Arlee Gold has always lived in the shadow of her successful mom, who expects nothing but the best. In an effort to get her daughter back on track after a few less-than-stellar school years, she’s enrolled Arlee as a legacy at Camp Rockaway, an elite college-prep summer camp deep in the North Carolina wilderness. Arlee is intimidated by the camp’s shiny exterior, suffocated by the relentless heat, and tormented by the ceaseless stream of crawling, slimy, flapping bugs that seem to come straight from her nightmares. In the midst of her brewing dread, Arlee is relieved to find a queer sanctuary in her cabinmates and is especially drawn to Winnie, the enigmatic girl who sleeps in the bunk above her. Except Arlee starts to notice whispers in her wake and other campers avoiding her. Struggling in her prep classes and feeling increasingly paranoid, Arlee can no longer suppress her panicked “glitches,” and her worst fear is confirmed: Even here, in the place her mother promised was “going to change everything,” she’s been found out as a freak. Just as she’s facing a summer completely alone, she is slipped a mysterious invitation and finds herself caught up in a secret society that expects its sisterhood to protect one another—by any means necessary. Here, finally, Arlee feels like a part of something bigger, something that matters. Guided by their cunning leader, Lisha, her smile sharp enough to cut bone, the sisterhood will stand against any threat, unquestioningly. But when Winnie is put in grave danger, Arlee is forced to confront just how far her sisters will go and whether they truly protect the girls.