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A review by xxivo
Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book made me the most uncomfortable with a book since a long while. In a good way
The only other book that has made me more uncomfortable was House of Leaves and that book what a whole different kind of experience. It were so many layers that made this book uncomfortable for me that I struggle to sum it all up. But don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad quality of the book. It's meant to be uncomfortable that's clear, and the book did so masterfully.
This book is very detailed in it's gore. Things I absolutely love in White his books. This book delivers with gruesome details just like the previous ones did. There is a difference though. This book isn't as much a story with many fantasy elements, it's deeply rooted in the nowadays time. It has gore made by humans like your average neighbor. It gives this book a feeling that makes it come way closer to home than White's previous books did. I felt like I was reading a story my friends could've told me happening in their neighborhood. It made this book incredibly intense.
I also felt like this book felt so human in it relationships with the main character. Although... it probably felt so human to me because of the Autism of the main character.
What I liked about the relationships however is that they weren't wholly good or wholly bad. There were parents who were kind of supportive, but at the same time difficult about it. I have not seen this done in fiction often. Most times parents are wholeheartedly supportive or deeply transphobic. Seeing this way of a coming out reaction be put in the book was very refreshing to read and made me think back a lot on my own coming out.
Often young adult novels also have the main character have this one best friend or a group of close friends that are their steadfast companions. This book the main character really didn't have friends to start with. That changes during the book that I won't talk about, but at the start the main character is clearly quite alone. This take I also found really interesting to read. I don't relate to it much, but I know gaming friends of mine who had quite the same experience. So to have this be so clearly put in a book was neat.
Then the plot itself of the book felt tense from start to finish. I wasn't able to stop thinking about it and it had fully gripped me. There was always the feeling of danger being there leading the story on, forcing the main character to take big actions that felt overwhelming sometimes. But it felt overwhelming in the right way and made it so much fun to read and keep on going to see where it would lead him next.
I think that there was another layer to it being so uncomfortable that's a bit more unique to non USA readers though. I often feel awkward reading deeply American high school stories. It always seems to be so close to being relatable, but it just isn't. And that has made me feel off with a significant number of books in the past. This book that felt so American was no different. I'm not saying that that's good or bad, it just is and that's okay. It did make me rant about this with friends though and it felt worth it to mention in the review.
Concluding I want to say that this book feels very unique and executes that perfectly, while at the same time telling a great story.
I received an ARC and this was my honest review.
The only other book that has made me more uncomfortable was House of Leaves and that book what a whole different kind of experience. It were so many layers that made this book uncomfortable for me that I struggle to sum it all up. But don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad quality of the book. It's meant to be uncomfortable that's clear, and the book did so masterfully.
This book is very detailed in it's gore. Things I absolutely love in White his books. This book delivers with gruesome details just like the previous ones did. There is a difference though. This book isn't as much a story with many fantasy elements, it's deeply rooted in the nowadays time. It has gore made by humans like your average neighbor. It gives this book a feeling that makes it come way closer to home than White's previous books did. I felt like I was reading a story my friends could've told me happening in their neighborhood. It made this book incredibly intense.
I also felt like this book felt so human in it relationships with the main character. Although... it probably felt so human to me because of the Autism of the main character.
What I liked about the relationships however is that they weren't wholly good or wholly bad. There were parents who were kind of supportive, but at the same time difficult about it. I have not seen this done in fiction often. Most times parents are wholeheartedly supportive or deeply transphobic. Seeing this way of a coming out reaction be put in the book was very refreshing to read and made me think back a lot on my own coming out.
Often young adult novels also have the main character have this one best friend or a group of close friends that are their steadfast companions. This book the main character really didn't have friends to start with. That changes during the book that I won't talk about, but at the start the main character is clearly quite alone. This take I also found really interesting to read. I don't relate to it much, but I know gaming friends of mine who had quite the same experience. So to have this be so clearly put in a book was neat.
Then the plot itself of the book felt tense from start to finish. I wasn't able to stop thinking about it and it had fully gripped me. There was always the feeling of danger being there leading the story on, forcing the main character to take big actions that felt overwhelming sometimes. But it felt overwhelming in the right way and made it so much fun to read and keep on going to see where it would lead him next.
I think that there was another layer to it being so uncomfortable that's a bit more unique to non USA readers though. I often feel awkward reading deeply American high school stories. It always seems to be so close to being relatable, but it just isn't. And that has made me feel off with a significant number of books in the past. This book that felt so American was no different. I'm not saying that that's good or bad, it just is and that's okay. It did make me rant about this with friends though and it felt worth it to mention in the review.
Concluding I want to say that this book feels very unique and executes that perfectly, while at the same time telling a great story.
I received an ARC and this was my honest review.