“Of course I'm mad. I'm mad that this is the shape the world takes, I'm mad that we've both been put here, I'm mad because it don't got to be this way. But it is.”

Miles Abernathy’s family has a long, bloody history with the leaders of Twist Creek County, West Virginia. Stemming from a coal miners’ rebellion led by his great-great-grandfather, the generations-long feud has resulted in several gruesome deaths and an intense fear of Sheriff Davies, whose constant looming presence means Miles can never feel truly safe. On top of uncovering proof that the sheriff was behind a fatal car crash, Miles is also navigating a few crises of identity—coming out as trans to his parents, accepting the autism he’s masked his whole life, and discovering his true sexual identity after reconnecting with an old friend.

COMPOUND FRACTURE is a horror novel, but it’s not about ghosts and things that go bump in the night (although there are both in the story!). Instead, it’s about the horrors of oppression, of generational trauma, of living under a federal administration and capitalist system that wants to keep you down. It’s about murder and revenge and the power of community. It’s gory, and way more people got murdered than I expected. And it was so, so good.

I thought that the book had some very powerful things to say about collective action, anarchy and oppressive systems. It was also DEEPLY southern, rooted in Appalachian culture and history, and I appreciated the way the author struck a balance between demonstrating how conservative these regions can be, but also how accepting and open-minded its communities are. There were several openly liberal people in the town as well as several LGBTQ members aside from Miles, and the community held space for them. AJW did not paint Twist Creek County with a broad, solely conservative brush and showed that the trans kids in the South are proud of where they come from and deserve protection in their homes, too.

Interwoven through the main plot were Miles’ explorations of his identity, including his journey coming out as trans and discovering he’s autistic. Both felt realistic and added a ton of depth to the story and characters. I loved the inclusion of Miles’ ancestor being trans, demonstrating how trans people have always existed and left lasting legacies, but there’s also the pain of losing queer elders and not being able to pass knowledge down through generations. The autism rep resonated with my personal experiences. Miles would be considered late-diagnosed and highly masking, which is an identity I share, and he wasn’t just “quirky” or reduced to weird traits. AJW showed the unsavory parts of the disability—from autistic meltdowns, to struggling with personal hygiene—and alleviated some of the shame associated with them.

From a prose perspective, the writing was clear and accessible but didn’t feel dumbed down for a younger audience. I think this type of book will really resonate with YA readers, but it still captured my attention as an adult. I will be picking up the author’s other books ASAP.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s dark in all the best ways, full of surprising twists and gruesome turns, and with characters that jump off the page.

The representation in it is realistic and genuine, cutting to how each of the characters feels about who they are and how that doesn’t always match what society wants them to be.

It’s a love letter to West Virginia and its people, while also being a pretty brutal take on rural Appalachia politics, the opioid crisis, and corruption.

I know I’ll continue to buy anything this author writes, because I’ve yet to be let down.

This broke my heart and mended it. If you know small towns and are queer and any type of neurodivergent this an absolute must read

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree for the ARC.

Can't have a blood feud without spilling a little (a lot) of blood. This was gnarly, Andrew Joseph White is so good at instilling a bunch of emotion and passion into some really dark scenarios. I was so invested in the well-being of the Abernathys. Mile's family is so loving despite their flaws (except Lady the dog, she has no flaws). While I was expecting the blood feud would have to end in some way, I had no idea who would live to see the end the whole time. I've read two of White's books now, and he's definitely on my list of authors to watch for.

"Compound Fracture" is a very good, but very graphic and disturbing book, like all of Andrew Joseph White’s books are. This book has really good characters, and it’s nice to see trans, agender, aro, and autistic rep all wrapped up together. The story is intense and will hold readers' attention throughout. While it's not quite as exceptional as "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth", it is still another solidly great book from this author, and I look forward to future works.

Dare I say that this is my favorite Andrew Joseph White so far!! Absolutely brilliant, brutal, and batshit. Like with all of his books, the body horror in this was top notch. It was unsettling and very emotional but hopeful at the same time.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Have you ever read a book that you just know is meant for you? Sure, the author wasn’t thinking about you when they wrote it, but it was made for you just the same? Like they took an ice pick (or a railroad spike, in this case) to your brain and opened it up to find the story they were wanting to write?

That was this book to me. All of Andrew Joseph White’s books have been incredible so far, all of them achingly relatable, but this one? This one hit close to home.

Full of that southern charm and grit, Compound Fracture is Andrew Joseph White’s best book yet. It’s got strong political messaging and whip smart prose, with an achingly realistic portrayal of learning you’re autistic and learning how to come to terms with your own queer identity. It’s a novel about family and fighting the people in charge, and it’s both beautiful and terrifying.

While this book is certainly more of a thriller than a horror novel, that does not make it any less bloody or dark. In fact, I think this one terrified me far more than Hell Followed Through Us or The Spirit Bears its Teeth, and that’s saying something, because both of those books made my stomach turn. No, this one is somehow more terrifying. It is so much more grounded and so, so tense, Andrew Joseph White’s way of writing prose and tension making the reader cling to every word.

This one is strong. It burns, and might pick open a few scars, but it is worth it. Oh, and the dog survives and is a great dog.

Please read this book. If you’re trans, queer, autistic, from Appalachia, or just looking for a book that’ll set your teeth on edge, give this one a read. I know I’ll be reading it again as soon as it comes out, and I’m most definitely grabbing myself a physical copy.

I THOUGHT I SUBMITTED FEEDBACK SO LONG AGO. Anyways, this book was so incredibly atmospheric and voicey in the best way; I loved Miles and his voice, and while I have never been anywhere Appalachian, it felt like I was there. Omg. Might be getting back into YA thriller and horror if I find more like this.

Andrew Joseph White’s books are a must-read. His characters are unapologetically queer, angry, and real—exactly what we need right now. I loved the Appalachian setting and the depth of the characters. Though simpler than some of his other works, this book blends body horror, queerness, and radical hope into a raw exploration of queerness in the South and capitalist oppression. Every teenager and YA needs Andrew’s books.

I will always read a book if it had Andrew Joseph Whites name on it. His characters are everything we need in this world: well rounded, diverce, angry, queer and unapologetic. I love the Apalachan setting in this one and all the charcaters.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for the eARC.

When it comes to exploring the intersection of body horror, gore, and queerness, there is no better writer than Andrew Joseph White. While I found this book less complex than some of White’s other works, it stands strong as a realistic and honest look at queerness in the South, the long and bloody history of capitalist oppression, and radical hope. It is also the kind of novel I wish I had in high school.

Compound Fracture is an unflinching blood-filled thriller/light horror standalone novel by Andrew Joseph White. Released 3rd Sept 2024, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is marketed as YA, but fair warning, it's *very* brutal in places. It's exceptionally well written, honest, direct, and truly worthwhile, but so bloody and graphic. Having grown up in WVa, and seen firsthand the generational trauma, poverty, desperation, widespread bone-deep racism/sexism/homophobia and violence, the author does an impressive job of getting inside the almost inexplicable choices a lot of the people growing up in rural conservative communities make politically (to continue to be exploited, as long as there are *some* people who are even *more* marginalized and abused than they themselves are). Trigger warnings, homophobia, ableist abuse of neuroatypical/autistic people, transphobia, graphic violence, body horror, opioid abuse, sexual abuse, generational trauma, poverty, and certainly some I'm missing.

It's raw. It's very very well written.

Four and a half stars. Not an easy read. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition. Likely far too violent/triggering for school library. It's politically relevant to a degree that would make it a very good choice for gender studies/Appalachian studies, (American southern rural politics/culture/literature), and allied subjects.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Andrew Joseph White is a jaw-dropping phenomenal author. Every one of his books has taken my breath away, stopped me in my tracks, ripped my heart out, and made me immediately tell my friends and grandmother about what I just read. Compound Fracture was no different. From the very first page, I knew it was going to grip me, and it never let me down.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Andrew Joseph White for the advanced reader copy!!
Compound Fracture is genuinely one of the best, emotionally captivating books I have had the chance to read. It was an honor to follow Miles on his journey and see the world through his eyes as he fought to right the wrongs that have befallen his family.
Absolutely can't wait for the next novel this author releases, so I can fall in love with his characters and worldbuilding all over again.

This book made me feel things I've never felt when reading before. It was heartbreaking and frustrating and so weirdly beautiful and sweet despite how horrible it was. Miles was an easy character to root for. The setting was exquisitely described, and it made me yearn for my own hometown. The characters were all so painfully real. It might be petty, but the reason this book is 4 and not 5 stars is because I found the way Cooper's character was resolved to be so insanely frustrating. For me personally, I didn't feel like it fit the narrative, and it felt like it was just done for the sake of doing i rather than any true intention to enrich the plot. Otherwise, this book was a work of art.

Loved the protagonist here! White's books are phenomenal at capturing the voices of trans teens who live in rural areas, especially rural Appalachia.

I loved the story and the main character. I liked how generational trauma was used to enhance the story and the family dynamics especially with the other characters in the story. There is a little bit of a supernatural element which I liked seeing the grandfather of the main character be beside him and without saying a word, there was an understanding immediately between them. I love the ending, I though it was very good and I would recommend this to anyone

Automatic 5/5, AJW kills it (and me) once again!

Everything about "Compound Fracture" was incredible, the story, the characters, the relatability. I was hooked from the moment I started reading,

"Compound Fracture" hits close to home for me in a lot of ways, which got me even more invested in what was going on, what was happening to Miles and what Miles was doing.

The unique writing style replicating what it's like to live in Appalachia and interact with people just like the people Miles interacts with made it all the more relatable as someone from Appalachia, and AJW really nails the feeling of being queer in a place like this - not wanting to leave because it's your town, but fighting for acceptance because you're different from everyone else.

Overall, this was an incredible read. AJW never lets me down, and I'm super excited for what he releases next!

Absolutely loved this book. It was gritty and tender, hopeless and hopeful all at the same time. I honestly don’t even have the words to describe the way that this book pulled me in and made me feel so familiar with a region I have never been to (Appalachia). Everyone should read this book. I don’t do star ratings any more but this one deserves all the stars!

I was a little afraid of this book because of all the political themes. There are concepts that I have a lot of problems with, and those who know me know exactly why. Still, I admire Andrew Joseph White too much to say no to a story from his hand, and I don't regret it at all. It's a heavy novel, yes, and at the beginning it feels a little slow, but it becomes addictive after the first half.

Although the author's previous book left me a little unhappy, this one is much better in that aspect. The representation is much more balanced, much more realistic, and, surprise of surprises, the parents have a fundamental role in the development of everything. We already know that parents are almost always filler in young adult stories, if they are there to begin with, but here they are fundamental for Miles.

At the end of the day, it is a journey of discovery of independence, because many things make up a person, and here we witness what happens for someone like Miles to exist in the society where he exists. There are some characters we don't get to know in such depth, but that doesn't mean you don't come to sympathize with them; Amber, if you ask me, is worthy of her own book.

Andrew Joseph White is already synonymous with heavy stories, stories that don't fall short when it comes to showing what can happen to people, but this is without a doubt his most human novel. Compound Fracture shows how visceral some people's experience can be, and how community itself, or lack thereof, can create change, one way or another.