Is it Worth it to Survive If this is All There is?

I was excited to find another YA post-apocalyptic novel, but The Compound by SA Bodeen is SO much more than that. In fact, its level of twists, turns, and truly disturbing plot lines will keep you interested through every page.

Eli is the son of a brilliant billionaire, Rex, whose technological advances have rocked the world. When he finds out a nuclear attack has occurred, he rushes his family into The Compound, a shelter he has been working on for almost a decade in case just such a thing occurred. When they rushed to get in, though, their grandmother and Eli's twin Eddy are left outside. When Eli shouts that they have to wait for them as the Compound door closes, his father says, "At least I have one of you."

Life in the Compound has been growing increasingly precarious despite the monotony and the boredom. The food source that was supposed to last for 15 years has been compromised in many ways. The livestock grain was poisoned, the grow lights were actually normal bulbs, and the food supply would never last for the full 15 years necessary for the radiation to dwindle to safe levels. Rex has found a way to survive for longer, but the result, held behind the yellow door, is something no one in the Compound but Rex is willing to consider.

When Eli finds his brother's old computer and picks up a wireless signal (Rex had removed wireless capabilities from all the other computers), he beings to question why they are really in the Compound. Was there really a bomb? Did people survive? Could Eddy and Gram have survived? Is his dad telling them the whole truth? This novel will keep you asking crazy questions from beginning to end.

While there is no sex or real violence in this story, it is very disturbing in parts. The lengths Rex will go to survive will leave the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. At first he is a quirky rich man intent on protecting his family, but as the story unfolds, it is clear he is also more than a bit unstable. I would save this crazy story for a more mature reader, although the reading level is quite accessible. While the life in the Compound is fairly routine, Rex's madness is anything but. This is an amazing, creative, and disturbing story, but make sure not to read it on a dreary day!