Reviews - The Compound | The StoryGraph

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2.45k reviews for:

The Compound

Aisling Rawle, Aisling Rawle

3.81 AVERAGE

akmanwell's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

jem18's review against another edition

4.25

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The concept of this novel was excellent, it felt like a mixture of tv shows like Big Brother, Love Island spliced with a touch of Lord of the Flies, completely dystopian and bleak at times. Many of the characters were completely unlikable (but thats one of the points of the book I think). I did wish we knew more about the outside world and what was truly so bad about it that drove Lily to want to stay in the compound.

I also did not love that in the end there really was no character growth, it was clear that the show would continue with or without Lily, and no one on the outside questioned the cruelty of The Compound and even when Lily did so, she did nothing to combat such things. Lily was vapid and meek but made for a great storyteller.

kathrynhager's review against another edition

4.75

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sarbaum's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

connorbeth's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

allysongroves's review against another edition

3.5

Unlike anything I've read in a long time. Had my jaw dropping in places. I just feel like the world and characters could be a bit more well-developed. For all that happened, I feel like nothing much really came of it, you know?

rosieesumner's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A unique and thrilling dystopia that in a lot of ways eerily doesn't feel all that far from our current reality at all. Without being too obvious in her metaphors and allegories the author explores how surviving under late stage capitalism is warping human connectedness. She asks some really profound and complex questions about what it means to be human and answers them in really poignant ways through her characters and their interactions with each other and the landscape they find themselves in. The author gives some amazing reflections on personal and collective identity in the modern age and grapples with uncomfortable truths. The author explores how what we often misidentify as 'primitive institincts' are really just the product of social conditioning and a means of adapting to the ever dark and disturbing new world we find ourselves in. I loved her use of George Orwell's Animal Farm quote at the beginning, it really gave context to the message it felt like she was trying to communicate, particularly through the main character. Although I anticipated enjoying this read I didn't expect how much it would stay with me after reading it, it's one I haven't been able to stop thinking about and I would highly recommend! :)