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booksbeyondthebinary 's review for:
Compound Fracture
by Andrew Joseph White
emotional
medium-paced
To be loved is to be known.
Miles Abernathy and their journey throughout this book is one that, in many ways, mirrors my own. Like Miles, I am trans and autistic and seeing those aspects of his character and the experiences that he has coming to terms with both of them were incredibly emotional for me.
Growing up as a kid who was always a tomboy, who refused to wear jeans even in the coldest of weather, who would cry if plans got changed suddenly, and would panic if I forgot to bring my comfort blanket with the special satin edges to a sleepover, I always thought that that was how everyone was. It was my normal, so I perceived it as everyone’s normal.
Like Miles, I never got a diagnosis as a kid. My masking was built up so proficiently that it wasn’t until it was suggested by a few people around me that I begun to consider if I might be autistic.
One thing I absolutely loved about Miles was seeing his absolute steadfast love for West Virginia. I think a lot of the time and especially post Roe v. Wade being overturned, the conversation surrounding states that don’t have the same privileges becomes telling people who live in those states to “just move” which is an incredibly privileged take. Not everyone has the financial freedom to uproot their entire life and move out of state. Beyond that, so many people love the state they were raised in, in spite of it not always showing that same love back. There is beauty in every single state and it’s obtuse to leave the South behind when talking about progress.
This book is a love letter to the south, to families whose love for each other is a bond that cannot be severed, and to every kid growing up that feels different but doesn’t quite know why.
Thank you so much to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy!
Miles Abernathy and their journey throughout this book is one that, in many ways, mirrors my own. Like Miles, I am trans and autistic and seeing those aspects of his character and the experiences that he has coming to terms with both of them were incredibly emotional for me.
Growing up as a kid who was always a tomboy, who refused to wear jeans even in the coldest of weather, who would cry if plans got changed suddenly, and would panic if I forgot to bring my comfort blanket with the special satin edges to a sleepover, I always thought that that was how everyone was. It was my normal, so I perceived it as everyone’s normal.
Like Miles, I never got a diagnosis as a kid. My masking was built up so proficiently that it wasn’t until it was suggested by a few people around me that I begun to consider if I might be autistic.
One thing I absolutely loved about Miles was seeing his absolute steadfast love for West Virginia. I think a lot of the time and especially post Roe v. Wade being overturned, the conversation surrounding states that don’t have the same privileges becomes telling people who live in those states to “just move” which is an incredibly privileged take. Not everyone has the financial freedom to uproot their entire life and move out of state. Beyond that, so many people love the state they were raised in, in spite of it not always showing that same love back. There is beauty in every single state and it’s obtuse to leave the South behind when talking about progress.
This book is a love letter to the south, to families whose love for each other is a bond that cannot be severed, and to every kid growing up that feels different but doesn’t quite know why.
Thank you so much to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying
Minor: Deadnaming, Death, Torture, Kidnapping, Death of parent