Way, Camilla 1973-

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Way, Camilla 1973-

PERSONAL:

Born 1973, in London, England; daughter of Peter Way (a poet and novelist). Education: Studied at University of Glamorgan.

ADDRESSES:

Home—London, England.

CAREER:

Journalist and writer. Bliss, associate editor; Arena, editor.

WRITINGS:

The Dead of Summer (novel), Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2007.

Contributor to Arena.

SIDELIGHTS:

Camilla Way is an English journalist and writer. After completing her studies at the University of Glamorgan, Way became a journalist, working as an associate editor at Bliss magazine before switching to Arena magazine.

Way published her first novel, The Dead of Summer, in 2007. Thirteen-year-old tomboy Anita Naidu moves from Leeds to London after the unexpected death of her mother in a triple murder. Her best friend, Kyle Kite, is suspected of doing the killings, and even as a young woman, Anita has trouble coping with the events.

Luan Gaines, reviewing the novel on the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site, observed that "in an eerie tale that rends the bright fabric of childhood innocence, The Dead of Summer is a shocking reminder of the dark things that fester in the human psyche, untended and ignored." Joanne Harris, writing in Washington Post Book World, remarked that "like the tabloid headlines from which it draws its inspiration, The Dead of Summer evokes horror with enviable ease but fails to evoke much pity. The jack-in-the-box ending may be startling, but it offers little insight. The result is a beautifully written piece of journalistic fiction—sensationalist, thrilling, graphic and compulsive—that lacks the necessary element of compassion."

Lottie Moggach, reviewing the novel in the London Paper, pondered that "it's hard to say what's more impressive: Way's plot, Anita's utterly convincing voice, or the evocation of the strange, eerie atmosphere." Either way, Moggach summarized that the novel is "something truly exciting." Angela L. Soto, writing on the ReviewingTheEvidence.com Web site, mentioned that "Way captures readers through Anita's words," appending that "this is a compelling novel that one knows cannot have either a happy ending or a comforting resolution. It is dark all the way through." A contributor to the Greenwich Phantom Web site noted that the fact that Way is an editor "explains why this book keeps its taut, flat, emotionless tone throughout," adding that Way "is the person that cuts the fat out of other people's writing, so presumably she's quite good at editing-out her own flabby material, sticking to the story in hand."

Tim Davis, reviewing the novel on the BookLoons Web site, found it to be "provocative, bold, and remarkable." Davis noted that "this first-rate literary psychological thriller is unique in its narrative style … and the novel is consistently sophisticated, compelling, and impossible to put down." Booklist contributor Joanne Wilkinson claimed that "this is the rarest of treats—a humdinger of a story told by an exceptional writer." A contributor to Publishers Weekly found Anita's story "intriguing," but noted that "the way Anita's damaged psychology plays out seems more a result of narrative necessity than of a realized character." A critic writing in Kirkus Reviews commented that "Way balances her chills and surprises with compassion and sophistication that rise above the genre," describing the novel as "a confident, literary psychological thriller."