Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Compound Fracture

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

266 reviews

ezra0possum's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

solenophage's review against another edition

3.0

I was excited about this one and thrilled to get an advanced copy. The history and culture of Appalachia interest me a lot, in part because of my proximity to it. There’s been a history of socialist movements and worker solidarity in many areas that still permeates the culture, but also a strongly conservative lean in the impoverished rural communities that could (and have in patches of history) benefit most from these movements. The book description seemed to promise a nuanced exploration of these elements without glorification or erasure of the bigotry just because the people perpetuating it are victims in their own right. The cycle of violence, and the lofty ideals struggling to manifest in a dirty reality, all weaved through a thriller/horror plot line literally haunted by the bloody, cyclic history (not to mention the bonus of exploring trans and queer culture and identity in this environment through a gay, aromantic trans protagonist), what a pitch.

It just didn’t fully stick the landing in my opinion. While Miles has a strong sense of his principles, politically, and awareness of the large-scale issues in his community, the morality and motivations for the violence done in the story proper by him and his generation were shallower. A lot of complexity was left to the past and to infodumps about history, culture, and ideologies, rather than deeply integrated into the narrative.

It came to a head with the ending where I felt the underlying problems of Miles’ community that went beyond the sheriff and his abuse of power were somewhat brushed off.

All the handful of bad people who were really seduced by violence (unlike Miles who only liked it a little) were gone and so the conservative populace would rally behind the socialists and queers? I know that’s not exactly what the ending wants to say. It’s trying to be a hard-won, but hopeful look at the cycle of violence finally ending and a marginalized person being able to carve out space for himself in a home he cares for. But (despite the literal gore and death) it was maybe too clean for a story that paid lip service to many complexities.

There are acknowledgments of the racism, misogyny, queerphobia, and all the hatred, trauma, and pain that go far beyond and far deeper than the feud that gets the main focus and the resolution in the end. With all that put out in the open earlier in the story, but not worked on, I’m wondering where it all went.

Sometimes I think I’m asking the wrong thing from a story when I’m unsatisfied with the direction or the ending, but in this case, I do believe I wanted mostly the same thing the story was trying to give, I just wanted it to go deeper and to give more.

There was a lot to like — the portrayal of the setting, the political awareness, Miles’ journey to understanding himself as autistic, his pride in his home and insistence on making it better, the realistic writing of his family’s imperfect yet unconditional love — but also potential left untouched.

Content Warnings

planetaryrings's review against another edition

2.75

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

repetetive, strong-armed, ham-fisted, self-righteous, white. not the worst thing i've read

Content Warnings

lilgriff's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional tense 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

Content Warnings

philipeos's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Like Andrew's other books this one had me hooked from the first second. The way he crafts these beautifully human characters and stories is absolutely beyond me. And again there was a point in the book where i thought I wouldn't be able to continue reading bc it all felt like too much, too horrible to endure and again he made it manageable.
Seeing trans teens just fight back so resiliently, so bravely and showing that it's nothing but surviving... it feels so good to acknowledge that.

This was the first time I've read a book with a main character or honestly any character that's aromamtic and omg it felt amazing. As someone who has been in a qpr seeing it written like this, even if it was sooo short it felt so so wonderful. I love Dallas to death. Ugh it felt so healing to read this as a communist trans guy

Content Warnings

2busyreading's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Andrew Joseph White is truly a master at what he writes, he tackles every theme he writes about both gracefully and brutally. Everything is written in such a way that you can't peel yourself away from it and find yourself deeply engrossed the more you read, and Compound Fracture is no different from his past two books. Compound Fracture is deeply political and relevant as ever, covering themes of classism, oppressive systems, transness, autism, family, and trauma. I couldn't tear myself away from this and finished the book in less than 36 hours. White absolutely nails it every single time. This book is incredibly heavy given it's material but so very important, I can't sing it's praises enough!

Content Warnings

that_person_logan's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Holy shit. Andrew-Andy, can I call you Andy?
Andy, buddy, this is killer. More than killer, it’s heart-rending , bone-breaking, orbital- socket-shattering, coal-miner-striking, moonshining, and most importantly: it’s here for us, the angry autistic queers, to read.

This books came at a really hard time in my life (new and very hard job in teaching- I’m looking very closely at Amber with our similarities and going hmmm) and this book was exactly what I needed.

Sometimes instead of being sad about life I need to be angry instead, and this story helped me get the anger I have so desperately needed.

I think the timing and setting of this book are so incredibly important to the overall story and it really is a snapshot of what it was like in the first year(s) of the Trump administration in a mostly conservative area as a queer or disabled person. The never-ending tension like someone was about to punish you for not supporting Trump was there and viscerally felt in this novel.

This book was horrifying because it was real, and that’s what scares me the most. It’s a warning, and I for one am listening to the clang of the hammer as it drives that spike down.

Also Andrew you are now 3/3 on making me cry with your author’s notes and it swear to g-d I don’t know how you do it, but I am so g-damned impressed every fucking time.

Stellar. Grotesque. Enraging. 5 stars.

Content Warnings

mir_frog73's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-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

Holy shit i actually don’t think I’ve ever been more stressed out whilst reading a book.

COOPER YOU FUCK, I’m sorry Noah killed you like that but gurl you kinda had it coming

I love reading an autistic perspective because EVERY SINGLE THING miles said I fully agreed with.

Content Warnings

lea_oaktrees's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Powerful, informative and doesn’t allow you to look away from the things that need to be confronted. My inner teenager loved this because it reminded me of figuring out why I was so angry about systems of power and oppression when I was 15 and adult me loved this as a reminder that you can be brave and take a stand at any age.

Content Warnings

e_val_uating's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Love me some well done trans autistic representation *melt*
Eine Sache, die ich an dieser Geschichte toll fand, ist dass gefühlt die Beziehung zwischen Miles und dem Hund, mit dem er zusammenlebt, die intimste und authentischste Beziehung ist, die Miles hat - ohne dass das komplett explizit thematisiert würde. Abgesehen von dem ganzen gore, der irgendwie bisschen terrible zu lesen ist, ist das ganze Drama und die Geschwindigkeit von der Erzählung grad genau richtig als Dopamin boost für mein Brain gewesen, das sich auf keine langsamere Geschichte hätte einlassen können. Und trotzdem bekomme ich ein bisschen emotionale wholesomeness, gayness und marxismus dazwischen gesprinkled. Overall sehr toll.

Content Warnings

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