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Graphic: Violence
Moderate: War
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Classism
Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Excrement, Stalking, War
This book had the bones of something great, but never really put meat on them. It felt like it wanted to be deep but got distracted by hot people making out in the apocalypse—and hey, same, but I needed a little more follow-through. Would I watch this as a Netflix show at 1 a.m. with a snack I’m ashamed of? Absolutely. Would I reread it? Probably not unless the world actually ends and I need something to barter with.
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, War
Graphic: Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Self harm, War
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, War
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Vomit, War
Everything is filmed, everything must be earned through tasks (communal or personal), and the contestants are punished for breaking any of the rules.
The Compound really doesn't read like a debut novel. It's assured and propulsive, and uses its premise to examine all kinds of social issues without losing any of its pace or bite.
The contestants are mostly interesting and well drawn, Lily especially so. She's hyperaware of how she looks, how she'll look on camera, the effect she's having on the men, and initially seems pretty shallow. Another blonde who lives and dies by her fashion magazines, who likes to be dolled up to the nines, and wants shiny things. She's not just that, though - people seldom really are what they seem on the surface.
Most of the contestants are morally grey and are nudged one way or another by the unseen producers. It's fun to see the manipulation, until it suddenly isn't and the tension ratchets up several gears.
The last third of the book is genuinely scary in places - it earns its comparison to Lord of the Flies.
I stayed up way too late (on a school night!) to finish this, and had trouble sleeping afterwards (complimentary). By rights, The Compound should be one of the buzziest books of the summer.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Suicide, War