The Compound: A GMA Book Club Pick [Large Print]

By Aisling Rawle

Book Overview

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

ONE THE BOOKS OF THE SUMMER: The New York Times, Vulture, Time, Harper's Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Betches, Publishers Weekly

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Large Print: Yes
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DKWMPG4R
• ISBN13: 9798217083671
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Random House Large Print Publishing
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Cutthroat reality show!

One the surface it seems like all those shows like Love Island or other reality tv but from the start, it is a creepy dystopian feel with the house starting in shambles and the contestants have to do tasks to get things like a front door (because there are wild dogs and other animals that might come looking for a meal), a fridge, or even get water turned back on (which is quite serious because this takes place in the middle of a desert). And then the contestants themselves. From the viewpoint of Lily, you get to see the others and how they change to become more vicious (sometimes because of tasks) in order to be the last one standing and "win" the show (which means they can ask for anything and get it and be able to keep it after they leave the house). You definitely don't see the injuries they get on our reality shows, but there are parallels and I will say that after I finished this audiobook, it made me think about how easily this could become reality. It was a good story though and I enjoyed listening to it. Lucy Boynton, the narrator did a good job in bringing this world, both bleak yet filled with the shallow trappings of consumerism and made Lily and her dreams and determination to win at any length. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook.