Introduction
Published in 2025 by Aisling Rawle, The Compound is marketed as a dystopian thriller cultivating a new twist on reality television. It’s eerie. It’s competitive. And it may well be life or death.
A Summary
The Compound is the reality TV show, set in the middle of the desert, where 10 men and 10 women learn to work together, live and maybe, even, fall in love.
But Lily knows more that the compound is more than this, so when she wakes up in an unfamiliar bed with no memory of how she got there, she prepares herself for a dizzying experience and the chance to live in peace if she wins.
As the producers turn up the anti, the contestants are forced into dangerous situations, and they soon forget that the cameras see everything.
My Thoughts
The Compound was the second book in a row I read related to reality TV and the psychological effects of it, and it was my favorite out of the two.
I really struggled to find myself immersed into the story for the first hundred or so pages. Everything was fairly bleak and predictable, with who would be sent off and when. Looking back, I do think this was because there was a lot more focus put on the character building than the plot, but it still dragged for me.
In the second half, I found myself getting truly engaged – almost on edge – with the progression of the story. Most of the character development began to rear its head here and Rawle does a great job at making the reader forget it is supposed to be for the purpose of a TV show. I did like the inclusion of queer characters, and the fact it touched lightly on the fact that heterosexuality is still rewarded on reality television. I think if it had delved deeper into this aspect or had leaned into the queer narrative, I would have rated it higher.
I found it keenly disappointing that we got small hints to a war on the outside of the compound, but were provided with no more information. When it was first mentioned, I was so excited to see where that plot-point went, only for it to go nowhere. It was a missed opportunity and unnecessary to add into the plot as it ended up.
Recommendation
I would recommend this if you want something psychological but without any horror involved. The Compound is a book that can take you out of reality for a little bit, but it doesn’t have a spectacular ending or any profound insight in it.
