The Compound: A GMA Book Club Pick

A Novel

By: Aisling Rawle

Narrated by: Lucy Boynton

GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

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.

Addicting - readers are kept on the edge

Just as fascinating as a reality show, this book explores the relationships between former strangers, thrown together in the fake environment of a reality television show. Contestants become cruel and even violent with each other, just for the sake of staying on the show a little longer.

Waiting for the ending

This book needs to be updated to include an actual ending, rather than the author simply ceasing writing it.

Entertaining but lacks punch

I expected a bit more from this going in, and spent much of the book holding my breath waiting to be hit with a shocking reveal and/or to be led into a deconstruction of the exploitative nature of realty television, but it never really came.

There were some crumbs on the effects of manipulation, manufactured conflict for entertainment value, and materialism, but they were not given through our main character, who remained almost or completely apathetic to those things throughout.

Personally, while I understood Lily's interest in Sam, I couldn't wrap my head around why he was interested in her, especially later into the book. She herself is aware of her lack of substance, and constantly worries and questions if Sam will still be interested when he realizes this.

That said, the book is certainly an engaging read and does well juggling an ensemble of characters with colorful personalities and believable complexities. The descriptions are immersive and the story is well-paced. If you love watching shows like Big Brother, Love Island, Survivor, and the like, this book is for you - it's like watching one big episode.

Splendid

For it being the author’s first book, I thought it was so well done. I didn’t get bored listening to the story. It was bittersweet when it ended, I wanted to hear more. I really enjoyed the story and the narration.

Very Slow

Maybe this was geared for the younger listener I found it not interesting and vey slow. The premise of the story was great, the book I was just trying to get through.