Book: The Compound

The compound

by S.A. Bodeen

Length: 245 pages

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - checked out from the school library

How I heard about it: the YAL conference

Basic Premise: A nuclear war drives Eli and his parents, grandmother, two sisters, and twin brother Eddy into a multi-billion dollar bunker his father had been building in secret.  But Gram and Eddy don't make it, leaving Eli angry and resentful toward his father. After six years in the compound, however, it all changes when a "wireless connection on" message pops up on Eli's computer.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here) 

I really really really liked this book. I think my opinion of the book was largely affected by the fact that both my kids slept all afternoon and my house was already (relatively) clean, so I literally read for like, four hours straight.  I liked the protagonist well-enough.  He was a smart-you-know-what, but as the book went on, he seemed to realize it and change.  He had long hair and he had this habit of untucking it from behind his ear or pulling it out of its ponytail when he wanted an excuse for not making eye contact with someone.  I may or may not have done that same thing once or twice. The story was, well, disturbing.  I could not believe the lengths the father was willing to go to to preserve the strange little half life they were living down below.  It reminded me again of the depravity of mankind and how, if left to our own devices, we will always always choose the wrong.  Eli even says in the book, "When did we become so godless?"  I thought that was an interesting term for a non-spiritual book.  Appropriate, of course, but interesting.

It was a good read.  The Fallout came out last year and I would love to read it, but I currently have two books in my possession, each checked out from the library, so I really need to get to reading those.  I also still have six books on my list. Maybe this summer!