The Compound: A GMA Book Club Pick

A provocative look at society inside of a Love Island/Survivor-meets-Black Mirror-esque read, The Compound had me thinking long and hard from the very first page. Not only about a whole host of -isms, including consumerism, racism, and sexism, but about how far we’ll go to entertain. Just look at the grip that social media and TV have on our lives. Inside of this literary fiction novel, however, the long line of disturbing moments created quite the mesmerizing tale. From the social experiment angle to the focus on how far reality TV could go if we allowed it, the moral quandaries, trust issues, and power plays within this young adult crowd kept me utterly off balance from beginning to end. And to think that this was a debut?I do have to say, though, that if you’re going into this novel looking for a clear-cut mystery/thriller, you just might be let down in the end. Slow burn is an understatement when it comes to this book. Focusing intently on the day-to-day goings on inside of the compound, for much of the novel, it felt like I was watching Big Brother or Love Island without the editing. While that was fun in its own right, it wasn’t the high-stakes read that I was expecting before diving in. Instead, many of the chilling events felt more told versus shown, which lessened the impact that they could’ve had. In the end, however, the message was highly impressive, which would make it a dynamite book club selection.All said and done, it was the razor-sharp writing that ultimately got under my skin. You see, the entire book rippled with dread as escalating events made me want to cover my eyes despite the fact that I couldn’t seem to put the book down. Thought-provoking in the extreme, I was chilled to the bone as I watched the calculation between these characters unfold. With an ominous feel throughout the novel, the near-future setting made me wonder what we have in store for us if we continue to be obsessed with what’s on our screens. Timely, thoughtful, and prescient, while it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I still ate up every word. So as long as you don’t mind a slow-moving plot, I say to give this one a go. Rating of 3.5 stars.

I love reality shows like Big Brother and The Circle so I jumped at the chance to read this debut by Aisling Rawle!The Compound is like a reality show but better because you know what at least one person is really thinking. Though the way these players are scheming makes me wonder about their situations before they entered the game and what's really going on in the outside world!Such an entertaining read with lots of topics for discussion...voyeurism, reality shows, teams vs individuals in reality competitions, ambition, pretty privilege, manipulation both by the players and the producers, and just human nature in general.I have so many questions about what happens next! Also, I feel like I need to watch Love Island now to see how it compares.Read this if you like:• Page-turners• Plotting and scheming• Reality shows• Books that examine human nature

Love Island meets Big Brother and/or Survivor. I think it could have been a decent premise but I think the author just never got the story off the ground. Kept waiting for more but got only more of the same. And the ending?? Felt like she realized that she didn't have anything different so said...okay done. Sorry to say it was not a favorite of mine.To the author, I give you kudos for being so young and having a first novel recognized by GMA. I will keep an eye out for future works to see how you progress.

A must read can’t put it down

Love this book so much.Cane damaged with a weird white sticky glob on the back though 😭