The Compound
- Kindig
- Jul 1
- 3 min read

THE COMPOUND
AISLING RAWLE
*****
You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, along with nine other women.
All of you are young, all beautiful, all keen to escape the grinding poverty, political unrest and environmental catastrophe of the outside world.
You realise that cameras are tracking your every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans.
Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey.
What will you have to do to win?
And what happens to the losers?
MY REVIEW
*****
I have a bit of a soft spot for reality TV based fiction, and looking at the blurb for The Compound, I knew it was going to be just my cup of tea!
Lily has been chosen to go on the reality TV show The Compound - 10 women and 10 men coupled up and competing for luxury prizes in the middle of the desert. However, how far will she go to get everything she has ever wanted and what do the Producers of the show have in store for them?
The Compound had me gripped from the very start – where Lily wakes up in a strange bed, in a house that is in disarray, getting to know her fellow female contenders as they wait for the men to appear. We are instantly eased into the setting but there are certain red flags throughout which alert the reader that things may not be all as they appear. There are mentions of several wars happening in the world outside, the fact that the men may have had a hard time in the desert to start with, the themes of the tasks and the mentions of previous seasons of the show.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of initially, but these are whittled down as people got banished. I did feel like every character had an interesting progression, helped by the set-up of no personal details being allowed to be revealed until the final few were left remaining. I enjoyed Lily’s disappointment at learning everyone’s jobs – preferring the impression in her head that she had built up about the people she was living with.
For those expecting a high stakes thriller, the book is very much a slow burn. However, it has a lot to say about consumerism and the superficiality of reality television. It also touches on diversity, gender roles and objectification on both sides of the coin. The plot does build to an interesting climax, and I enjoyed the initial struggle for food, basic necessities and survival equipment versus later on down the line when the same urgency was used for luxury goods and yogurt. However, I do wish that the ending had been a little different as it felt like a lot was left unanswered and it fizzled out. It would have been great to perhaps have a final chapter from a viewer’s perspective, where the final edit of the show was revealed, for example.
Overall, The Compound is a gripping read – albeit a slow-burn one, but if you enjoy reality tv style thrillers, you will love this one! Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and The Borough Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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