Review: Compound Fracture

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I picked up Compound Fracture based on a trusted recommendation that described it as a scary and brutal read. While I was aware that it was categorized as young adult, I was intrigued by the promise that it could easily read as an adult novel. The premise—a trans, autistic teen standing up against systemic corruption in an Appalachian town—sounded compelling, and Miles as a protagonist was engaging and well-drawn. His struggles, particularly around identity and resilience, offered an important perspective that could be eye-opening for readers unfamiliar with LGBTQ+ experiences. However, around the halfway mark, I found myself losing interest. The pacing felt meandering, and while it may have been a slow burn, there wasn’t enough plot momentum to hold my attention.

Ultimately, I think I just wasn’t the right audience for this book. Though I identify as LGBTQ, the heavy political themes—particularly through the lens of a teenage protagonist—didn’t resonate with me in the way I had hoped. The Appalachian setting and opioid crisis elements, while important, also didn’t connect with my personal interests. I had expected something more viscerally scary, but the horror here was rooted in real-world systemic oppression, making it more of a political thriller than the kind of eerie, terrifying read I was hoping for. I can see why this book will work for others, but for me, it didn’t deliver the experience I had signed up for, which is why I ultimately chose not to finish it.

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