The Compound
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Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Winner takes all.
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.
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The Compound has been likened to a cross between Love Island and Lord of the Flies. Now, I (happily) haven't watched a single episode of Love Island, so I can't possibly comment, but I did read Lord of the Flies not so long ago, and I'm failing to find a common denominator. If The Compound can be compared with anything, it would be Big Brother, with sinister undertones.
The premise is simple; twenty people (10 guys, 10 girls) share a house in a compound in the desert. They must complete tasks, some communal, some personal, to earn rewards and avoid banishment. They must couple up each night to avoid banishment. They must abide by certain rules to avoid banishment. All the while their action and interactions are filmed for the viewing pleasure of those back home. 🏡
As I already mentioned, there is a sinister undertone to the book. A lot of the tasks are engineered to either humiliate the contestants, or cause dissent. There's violence, and minor torture. 🏡
The Compound moves at a (very) slow pace, yet despite this, and the dark, disturbing events that unfold, it's hard to put down. 🏡
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
