History Literature / SurrenderYourSons

Connor Major recently came out to his ultra-religious mother, by the urging of his boyfriend, something his mother isn't handling well at all. As Connor spirals into a depression by being forbidden to see his boyfriend and having his lines of communication cut, his mother takes desperation action to "fix" her gay son - she arranges for him to be "kidnapped" and sent away to Nightlight, a conversion therapy camp in Costa Rica. While at the camp, it becomes clear that Connor and the other queer kids are not safe at all and Connor becomes deeply embroiled in a decades-long conspiracy. It's up to Connor to bring the truth the light, and bring his fellow LGBTQ campers home.

While spoilers are marked, as this novel is a thriller, it's better to have not read this page until you finished reading the novel. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Also with an [[ArmorPiercingSlap Armor Piercing Punch]]. [[spoiler: Ben furiously blames the Reverend for Drew's "suicide," but gets socked in the stomach by him complete with a stinging observation: Drew was cleared to leave the camp, but Ben kept denying his release, because Ben didn't want to risk Drew leaving him forever. Ben can only start sobbing and tells Drew's dead body that he loves him.]]

* TheFundamentalist: Connor's mother, who after divorcing Connor's father went off into the deep end with religion and became a zealot.

* {{Transgender}}: One of the young campers, Jack, is trans. He was made to start dressing like his assigned birth sex as part of his program. Thankfully, he's just playing along and is trying to get off the island quickly like everyone else there.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: And ''how''. [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard and his cousin, Ricky Hannigan were sent to Nightlight when they were teenagers in an attempt to cure them of their homosexuality; it was Stanley who ratted Ricky out after feeling guilty about being taken to a gay bar and enjoying himself. Soon after, Ricky purposefully estranges himself to his father Bill. Stanley invited to Ricky's commitment ceremony, and he brings Bill along, in a misguided attempt to stop the ceremony. Afterwards, in a drunken homophobia-fueled stupor, Bills ''kills'' Ricky's husband and seriously injures Ricky to the point where Ricky cannot walk and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Stanley and his father then wisk Bill away and hide him in the Nightlight camp, but Stanley (not forgiving Bill for what he did as well as resenting his own dad for making him hide his sexuality) ''kills'' his own father in an attempt to force Bill into a MortonsFolk situation where Bill can't seek help or else incriminate himself]].

* ArmorPiercingResponse: Also with an [[ArmorPiercingSlap Armor Piercing Punch]]. [[spoiler: Ben furiously blames the Reverend for Drew's "suicide," but gets socked in the stomach by him complete with a stinging observation: Drew was cleared to leave the camp, but Ben kept denying his release, because Ben didn't want to risk Drew leaving him forever. Ben can only start sobbing and finally tells Drew (well, his body) that he loves him.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Connor and the campers escape Nightlight with Bill in tow so he can face justice for his crimes, but the rest of the Nightlight staff escapes and are still at large with conversion therapy camps all throughout the world. Drew was murdered at camp, and his murderer Reverend Packard was killed by Bill, ending their sordid family story on a bad note. Worse yet, a Nightlight "truther-ism" campaign starts up online, something that Connor's mother gets sucked into, and she disowns Connor, after she claims he ruined her life and called him a murderer. On the positive side, Connor is now thriving due to being away from his toxic mother and seeking help, he's in a relationship with Marcos, and he and Ario are on good terms. Most of the other kids that escaped are doing much better and are out and proud at home, and Connor now wants to team up with the FBI to find the Nightlight camps and end conversion therapy once and for all.]]

* CureYourGays: The books takes place at a conversion therapy camp in the middle of the jungle.

* NeverSuicide: [[spoiler: At first, it appears Drew committed suicide from the watchtower, but then on closer inspection of his body, Connor sees that Drew had bruising around his neck and more evidence against Nightlight that he was bringing to them.]]
* NiceGuy: Ario and Marcos, both of Connor's love interests. Marcos especially who Connor describes as a puppy dog.
* NoBisexuals: Averted with Lacrishia, who is bisexual. Amusingly, during a marriage workshop, she remarks that she finds Connor attractive, but Miss Manners thinks she's trying too hard and coming on too strong. Darcy later tells Connor about Lacrishia being bi and ''legitimately'' finding Connor attractive; the camp has no idea what to do with Lacrishia as they see sexuality as either gay or straight.
* {{Transgender}}: One of the young campers, Jack, is trans. He was made to start dressing like his assigned birth sex as part of his program. Thankfully, he's just playing along and is trying to get off the island quick like everyone else there.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The plot is kicked off when Ario, Connor's boyfriend encourages Connor to come out to his mother, with ''disastrous'' results. Despite thinking that coming out would free Connor and he would be better off for it, Ario fails to consider just how different their lives and situations are and the dangerous position he put Connor in.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: After Drew and murdered and hanged, Ben absolutely loses it, tries to revive him, before collapsing into grief. He's still a mess by the end of the novel, but he later helps Connor and the escape from the island with him in tow.]]

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard is killed by Bill, after the Reverend reveals to him that his son Ricky is dead in a particularly cruel setup. Despite being a murderer himself, Packard has been mentally and emotionally abused by his father for being gay, was sent to conversion therapy, and then made to keep the secret to keep Bill at the camp when he inherited Nightlight, despite the fact Bill nearly killed his own son Ricky (the only person who accepted Stanley for being gay) and killed his son's partner, a police officer and possibly a few other people. His psyche, and the end of the book, is barely hanging by a thread.]]

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard is killed by Bill, after the Reverend reveals to him that his son Ricky is dead in a particularly cruel setup. Despite being a murderer himself, Packard has been mentally and emotionally abused by his father for being gay, was sent to conversion therapy, and then made to keep the secret to keep Bill at the camp when he inherited Nightlight, despite the fact Bill nearly killed his own son Ricky (the only person who accepted Stanley for being gay) and killed his son's partner, a patrolman and a number of other people. His psyche, and the end of the book, is barely hanging by a thread.]]

* AbusiveParents: Connor's mother, since divorcing his father has been emotionally abusive towards Connor, bordering on emotional neglect as she becomes a religious zealot and spends her time trying to get on Reverend Packard's good side and hangs on his ever word. [[spoiler: She disowns Connor at the end of the novel as well, leaving him to fend for himself on the streets for a few days]]. Subverted with the other parents of the campers, as they made a tremendously horrible mistake in sending the kids to Nightlight but [[spoiler: once the kids escape from Nightlight, they embrace their kids' queerness, more or less.]]

* BigScrewedUpFamily: And ''how''. [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard and his cousin, Ricky Hannigan were sent to Nightlight when they were teenagers in an attempt to cure them of their homosexuality; it was Stanley who ratted Ricky out after feeling guilty about being taken to a gay bar and enjoying himself. Soon after, Ricky purposefully estranges himself to his father Bill. Stanley invited to Ricky's commitment ceremony, and he brings Bill along. Afterwards, in a drunken homophobia-fueled stupor, Bills ''kills'' Ricky's husband and seriously injures Ricky to the point where Ricky cannot walk and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Stanley and his father then wisk Bill away and hide him in the Nightlight camp, but Stanley (not forgiving Bill for what he did as well as resenting his own dad for making him hide his sexuality) ''kills'' his own father in an attempt to force Bill into a MortonsFolk situation where Bill can't seek help or else incriminate himself]].

* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler: Ben (said to be in his late 40s/early 50s) and Drew (20 or 21 years old) are in a not-so-SecretRelationship at NightLight]].

* ChekhovsGunman: Bill seems like he's just a overenthusiastic counselor at the camp [[spoiler: but the as the novel unravels, it's reveals he's at the heart on just how truly messed up Nightlight is.]]

* NoBisexuals: Averted with Lacreisha, who is bisexual. Amusingly, during a marriage workshop, she remarks that she finds Connor attractive, but Miss Manners thinks she's trying too hard and coming on too strong. Darcy later tells Connor about Lacreisha being bi and ''legitimately'' finding Connor attractive; the camp has no idea what to do with Lacreisha as they see sexuality as either gay or straight.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The plot is kicked off when Ario, Connor's boyfriend encourages Connor to come out to his mother, with ''disasterous'' results. Despite thinking that coming out would free Connor and he would be better off for it, Ario fails to consider just how different their lives and situations are and the dangerous position he put Connor in.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard is killed by Bill, after the Reverend reveals to him that his son Ricky is dead in a particularly cruel setup. Despite being a murderer himself, Packard has been mentally and emotionally abused by his father for being gay, was sent to conversion therapy, and then made to keep the secret to keep Bill at the camp when he inherited Nightlight, despite the fact Bill nearly killed his own son Ricky (the only person who accepted Stanley for being gay) and killed his son's husband,a patrolman and a number of other people. His psyche, and the end of the book, is barely hanging by a thread.]]

* BigScrewedUpFamily: And ''how''. [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard and his cousin, Ricky Hannigan were sent to Nightlight when they were teenagers in an attempt to cure them of their homosexuality; it was Stanley who ratted Ricky out after feeling guilty about being taken to a gay bar and enjoying himself. Soon after, Ricky purposefully estranges himself to his father Bill until his commitment ceremony to his husband, which Ricky invited him to attend. Bill attends and then in a drunken stupor, filled with hate, ''kills'' Ricky's husband and seriously injures Ricky to the point where Ricky cannot walk and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Stanley and his father then wisk Bill away and hide him in the Nightlight camp, but Stanley (not forgiving Bill for what he did as well as resenting his own dad for making him hide his sexuality) ''kills'' his own father in an attempt to force Bill into a MortonsFolk situation where Bill can't seek help or else incriminate himself]].

* NoBisexuals: Averted with Lacreisha, who is bisexual. Amusingly, during a marriage workshop, she remarks thats she finds Connor attractive, but Miss Manners thinks she's trying too hard and coming on too strong. Darcy later tells Connor about Lacreisha being bi and ''legitimately'' finding Connor attractive; the camp has no idea what to do with Lacreisha as they see sexuality as either gay or straight.

* HarmfulToMinors: There's quite a few kids between 12-14 at the camp, each going through the same brainwashing and abuse the older characters go through.

While spoilers are marked, as this novel is a thriller, it's better to have not read this page until you finished the book. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

* NoBisexuals: Averted with Lacreisha, who is bisexual. Amusingly, during a marriage workshop, she legitimately remarks she finds Connor attractive, but Miss Manners thinks she's trying too hard and coming on too strong. Darcy remarks that the camp has no idea what to do with Lacreisha as they see sexuality as either gay or straight.

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Reverend Packard is killed by Bill, after the Reverend reveals to him that his son Ricky is dead in a particularly cruel setup. Despite being a murderer himself, Packard has been mentally and emotionally abused by his father for being gay, was sent to conversion therapy, and then made to keep the secret to keep Bill at the camp when he inherited Nightlight, despite the fact Bill nearly killed his own son and killed his son's husband and a patrolman. His psyche, and the end of the book, is barely hanging by a thread.]]

** Miss Manners, who keeps up a homely, inviting front until she's made angry. [[spoiler: She attacks Molly in a workshop class, scratching her cheek terribly and is pretty overjoyed that she's the last leader standing at Nightlight, ready to inflict more pain on queer teenagers.]]
** [[spoiler: Bill, who murdered his son Ricky's partner and then nearly murdered Ricky, and he murders several other people. It's clear that hiding away from the authorities and not being about to leave has affected his mental health severely.]]
** [[spoiler: Reverend Packard, as years of having to pretend he's heterosexual, as well as housing the killer who injured his cousin, made him the violent authoritarian he is today.]]
* BigScrewedUpFamily: And ''how''. [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard and his cousin, Ricky Hannigan were sent to Nightlight when they were teenagers in an attempt to cure them of their homosexuality; it was Stanley who ratted Ricky out after feeling guilty about being taken to a gay bar and enjoying himself. Soon after, Ricky purposefully estranges himself to his father Bill, except he did invite him to his commitment ceremony to his husband. Bill attends and then in a drunken stupor filled his hate, ''kills'' Ricky's husband and seriously injures Ricky to the point where Ricky cannot walk and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Stanley and his father then wisk Bill away and hide him in the Nightlight camp, but Stanley (not forgiving Bill for what he did as well as resenting his own dad for making him hide his sexuality) ''kills'' his own father in an attempt to force Bill into a MortonsFolk situation where Bill can't seek help or else incriminate himself]].
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Connor and the campers escape Nightlight with Bill in tow so he can face justice for his crimes, but the rest of the Nightlight staff escapes and are still at large with conversion therapy camps all throughout the world. Drew was murdered at camp, and his murderer Reverend Packard was killed by Bill, ending their sordid family story on a bad note. Worse yet, a Nightlight "truther-ism" campaign starts up online, something that Connor's mother gets sucked into, and she disowns Connor, after she claims he ruined her life and calling him a murderer. On the positive side, Connor is now thriving due to being away from his toxic mother and seeking help, he's in a relationship with Marcos, and he and Ario are on good terms. Most of the other kids that escaped are doing much better and are out and proud at home, and Connor now wants to team up with the FBI to find the Nightlight camps and end conversion therapy once and for all.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Connor and the campers escape Nightlight with Bill in tow so he can face justice for his crimes, but the rest of the Nightlight staff escapes and are still at large with conversion therapy camps all throughout the world. Drew was murdered at camp, and his murderer Reverend Packard was killed by Bill, ending their sordid family story on a bad note. Worse yet, a Nightlight "truther-ism" campaign starts up online, something that Connor's mother gets sucked into, and she disowns Connor, thinking he's a murder. On the positive side, Connor is now thriving being away from his toxic mother and seeking help, he's in a relationship with Marcos, and he and Ario are on good terms. Most of the other kids that escaped are doing much better and are out and proud at home, and Connor now wants to team up with the FBI to find the Nightlight camps and end conversion therapy once and for all.]]

Connor Major recently came out to his ultra-religious mother, by the urging of his boyfriend, something his mother isn't handling well, at all. As Connor spirals into a depression by being forbidden to see his boyfriend and having his lines of communication cut, his mother takes desperation action to "fix" her gay son - she arranges for him to be "kidnapped" and sent away to Nightlight, a conversion therapy camp in Costa Rica. While at the camp, it becomes clear that Connor and the other queer kids are not safe at all and Connor becomes deeply embroiled in a decades-long conspiracy. It's up to Connor to bring the truth the light, and bring his fellow LGBTQ campers home.

* CureYourGays: The books takes place at a conversion therapy camp in the middle of the jungle.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: And ''how''. [[spoiler: Reverend Stanley Packard and his cousin, Ricky Hannigan were sent to Nightlight when they were teenagers in an attempt to cure them of their homosexuality; it was Stanley who ratted Ricky out after feeling guilty about being taken to a gay bar and enjoying themselves. Soon after, Ricky purposefully estranges himself to his father Bill, except he did invite him to his commitment ceremony to his husband. Bill attends and then in a drunken stupor filled his hate, ''kills'' Ricky's husband and seriously injures Ricky to the point where Ricky cannot walk and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Stanley and his father then wisk Bill away and hide him in the Nightlight camp, but Stanley (not forgiving Bill for what he did as well as resenting his own dad for making him hide his sexuality) ''kills'' his own father in an attempt to force Bill into a MortonsFolk situation where Bill can't seek help or else incriminate himself]].

* ArmoredClosetGay: A given, considering the setting of the book. [[spoiler: Ben Briggs and Reverend Packard are the straightest examples.]]

Connor Major recently came out to his ultra-religious mother, by the urging of his boyfriend, something his mother isn't handling well, at all. As Connor spirals into a depression by being forbidden to see his boyfriend and having his lines of communication cut, his mother takes desperation action to "fix" her gay son - she arranges for him to be "kidnapped" and sent away to a conversion therapy camp in Costa Rica. While at the camp, it becomes clear that Connor and the other queer kids are not safe at all and Connor becomes deeply embroiled in a decades-long conspiracy. It's up to Connor to bring the truth the light, and bring his fellow LGBTQ campers home.
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