The Compound - by Aisling Rawle (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Winner takes all.

"Every bit as addictive as your favorite guilty pleasure binge-watch, but with all the substance of a literary classic."--Oprah Daily

"It's fun to watch hot people do psychotic things in this novel. . . . Smart and provocative [and] so damn addictive."--The New York Times Book Review

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR, THE NEW YORKER, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, OPRAH DAILY, THE GLOBE AND MAIL, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY

Lily--a bored, beautiful twenty-something--wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door.

Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the unseen producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she'll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams--but what will she have to do to win?

Addictive and prescient, The Compound is an explosive debut from a major new voice in fiction and will linger in your mind long after the game ends.

Review Quotes

"This delightfully absorbing novel . . . morphs into a potent examination of self-objectification, of the existential tedium of work, and of the disorientation produced by living in a world where what is genuine and what is performance are difficult to disentangle."--The New Yorker

"Definitely a vibe."--Betches

"The Compound joins a budding genre of fiction that uses disturbing televised competitions to critique our social norms, including Chain-Gang All-Stars and The Hunger Games. . . . Thrilling and haunting."--The New York Times Book Review

"Every bit as addictive as your favorite guilty pleasure binge-watch, but with all the substance of a literary classic."--Oprah Daily

"An Animal Farm for our age of relentless materialism."--The New York Times

"A clever and delicious treat that's even more addicting than the reality television it lambastes . . . I dare you not to tear through The Compound at lightning speed."--Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black Girl

"The Compound is a blistering takedown of reality TV in our capitalist world, where the gamification of love and power is sold as entertainment."--Michelle Min Sterling, New York Times bestselling author of Camp Zero

"This is the book to read this summer. I was riveted from the first page and couldn't put it down."--Cecelia Ahern, bestselling author of PS, I Love You and In a Thousand Different Ways

"Love Island meets Lord of the Flies. . . . Manna to fans of reality TV and some haters as well."--Kirkus Reviews

"The Compound is as addicting as the shows it satirizes, so relentlessly gripping that its cleverness sneaks up on you."--Abigail Dean, New York Times bestselling author of Girl A and The Death of Us

"Riveting and deeply unsettling . . . Aisling Rawle has written a book for our times: I flew through it and kept thinking about it long after the last page."--Janelle Brown, author of What Kind of Paradise

"I couldn't put The Compound down--it is that rare combination of propulsive and brilliant. I read it in one big gulp and then brought it up at two different dinners to talk about its mix of gender dynamics, capitalism, and power."--Megan Giddings, author of Lakewood

"In The Compound, Rawle has built an eerily familiar yet unparalleled landscape--one that expertly juggles the most gruesome and tender human traits--with page-turning, nail-biting force."--Olivia Gatwood, author of Whoever You Are, Honey

"This smart, stirring eyeball-peeler of a debut slices into our modern morass of capitalism and media with the appeal of the most transfixing reality series. You will have your face pressed to the windows of The Compound."--Katie Williams, author of My Murder

"With nuanced characters and a sharp examination of the tearing threads of modern society, The Compound is an astounding must-read."--Booklist, starred review

"This portrait of a vapid world contains remarkable depth."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author