S.A. Bodeen's young adult novel, The Compound, was a fascinating, fun, fast paced realistic fiction novel. This novel was thought provoking and interesting. I read it with my book club. All four of us enjoyed the book and could not wait to get together to discuss it.
Eli Yanakakis and his family escaped a nuclear crisis by running to the Compound, a shelter created by his extremely wealthy father with most of the comforts of home. But his twin brother and his grandmother didn't make it. Wracked with guilt, Eli spends the next six years distancing himself from his parents and his siblings and the things that are happening in the Compound. But a discovery has him questioning his father's motives and whether a nuclear event even happened. With a fascinating look at what it takes to keep a family of 5 alive underground for six years and at the family dynamic when faced with such circumstances, this novel keeps the reader turning the pages. With its dramatic conclusion, the reader is left wondering about the future of this family and there is the perfect set up for the follow up novel, The Fallout.
This was a great read. Sometimes the symbolism is overstated, but one must remember that the audience is a younger one. I found that easy to overlook, as were some of the more unrealistic aspects of the shelter, because the plot was so good and the characters so engaging. Highly recommend this one.
Happy Reading!
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