"Compound Fracture" by Andrew Joseph White is a gripping and intense young adult thriller that delves deep into the complexities of rural Appalachian life, queer identity, and generational struggles. Set in West Virginia in 2017, this novel offers a unique perspective through the eyes of a trans autistic protagonist who survives a harrowing ordeal.

White's writing is raw and unflinching, tackling difficult subjects with sensitivity and authenticity. The author skillfully weaves together themes of economic injustice, local political corruption, and the challenges faced by marginalized individuals in a conservative rural setting. The suspense is palpable throughout the narrative, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

The protagonist's journey is both heart-wrenching and empowering. White's portrayal of a trans autistic character adds a layer of representation that is often lacking in young adult literature. The exploration of identity, survival, and resilience in the face of adversity is particularly compelling.

While the novel excels in its portrayal of complex characters and societal issues, some readers may find the intensity of the content challenging. The book deals with heavy themes and potentially triggering situations, which, while handled with care, may not be suitable for all audiences.

The pacing is generally well-executed, with the story described as a "fast-paced rollercoaster from beginning to end". However, at times, the plot's intricacies and the weight of the themes explored may feel overwhelming.

Overall, "Compound Fracture" is a powerful and thought-provoking read that successfully blends elements of thriller, coming-of-age story, and social commentary. Andrew Joseph White has crafted a narrative that not only entertains but also educates and challenges readers to confront important societal issues. While it may not be for the faint of heart, those who appreciate gritty, realistic young adult fiction with a strong voice will find this book a rewarding experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

Compound Fracture is not going to be for everyone. If you are an educator, definitely check content warnings before handing it to a student--this is not the book for teen readers who do not like to read on-page violence.

That said, I really enjoyed this book. Hell Followed With Us was one of the most popular books in my classroom this year and I am definitely going to be adding a copy of this when it comes out in September.

Miles is a trans teen growing up in Appalachia, while also dealing with a generational feud between their family and another in town. I found the characters and story to be interesting and complex--no one is perfect, plenty are horrible, but there are rays of light and hope that are going to be so important for queer teen readers to see.

* Trigger warning: This book contains depictions of animal cruelty, addiction, and oppression of minority groups*

Compound Fracture is a gritty, fast-paced, and darkly realized story of a trans boy in the rural south coming of age in the modern world.

Having already loved two other stand-alone novels by this writer I was very excited to dive into this story and it more than met my expectations.

I continue to love how trans masc and nonbinary characters are portrayed in these stories as well as how the writer presents the experiences of existing on the Autism spectrum.

I can not wait to grab a physical copy for my bookshelf.

Wow. This is a tough one to write for me. This one really missed the mark and took a long time to get through. The story meandered a lot and in those meandering moments felt like they were only there to shove down social issues that while they are relevant to the time and place felt shoehorned into the actual story. Which is almost 400 pages and with such a simple premise I was already worried about its length. Miles, a teenage trans boy gets beat to hell by shitty town sheriff's son. Shitty Sheriff and Miles's family have feuded for years. Miles after an accident decides to get revenge with friend Cooper. Over simplified yes, but 373 pages later most things happen in the last third of the book and not to a very satisfying outcome. White is a great writer and "Hell Followed" was damn near perfection but this book couldn't find its groove. There is a solid bit to enjoy and seeing a loving group of family and friends around Miles was nice but it made everything too easy. There are some horrific acts in the book both by Miles and the antagonists but the aftermaths always felt easy. Miles and Cooper MURDER people in cold blood and even when Miles confesses everyone is just basically cool with it. I really love that AJW has ASD characters in his books but as someone with ASD this felt like a hammer hitting you to show Miles's habits. Also, Miles not knowing blew my mind in a bad way. Ain't no way. Again, the loving community around Miles was nice but it also felt way to coincidental. Pretty much every single person he knows is accepting of him/also queer/also autistic/also liberal or communist/ also all of the above and the town is fine with it all but mostly background noise anyway. Even his supernatural ancestor is basically him but dead. Which brings me to that element in which he sees his ancestor Saint. For me it didn't serve much purpose other than to be a B story that just showed up kind of randomly till the last third when Saint was suddenly around a lot more. Saint being a jumping point for the years of families feuding is necessary after that his story felt nice but not needed. This supernatural element just didn't add much. The family feud is lead on the Davies side by The Sheriff and his son who are both soooo laughably evil and the sheriff is such a cut out of "evil southern law enforcement" that it's hard to take it seriously. Both are honestly not directly in much of the story though. Then they die and everything is fine. The romance aspect was a bit all over and Cooper being straight (I guess?) but fine with Miles being trans and fine hooking up wasn't explored much since (in short) he got mad, ran off, and then was murdered. So, easy out there. I would have liked more with them and an exploration of what their relationship meant but he died (which was brutal but we quickly move past)and Miles ends up with Dallas anyway so happy ending. There are so many issues and social topics in here that again feel shoehorned but more so leave not one of them really being explored that deeply. I know it's YA but everything felt very tell you more than show you and it slowed things down a lot. This won't deter me from AJW books in the future but was a let down as I know what his writing is capable of.

I love Andrew Joseph White’s commitment to being gritty and gnarly. The explanations of gender/sexuality/disability were very textbook, but it’s a YA book, so I understand why. There were points where I felt the pacing could have been better. Despite that, this is a solid, realistic addition to the YA horror genre.

I am a HUGE fan of HFWU and TSBIT, so I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of AJW’s new novel. Thank you to NetGallery for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed are my own.

As someone who grew up in a small town in the deep south of the US, I have a particular love for tales like this about queer kids from red states rallying behind a hope for a better world. At the heart of it, this book was about the people you love and the lengths you’d go to keep them from harm. It’s messy and honest and, like all of AJW’s work, full of gory heart.

YA novels often function as young reader’s first introduction to topics like the ones in Compound Fracture (class disparity, police brutality, and the socioeconomic impacts of capitalism on the working class, to name a few), so while the reiterations of political and moral ideology felt heavy-handed and distracting from the narrative, I can fully understand they were there for the benefit of younger readers.

For me, the best parts of the book were the dynamics of the Abernathy family. Judging from AJW’s dedication, author’s note, and acknowledgements, that is where the heart of the novel was for him, too, and it shines through in all of their interactions.

The story of Miles’ family is one of unconditional love. They might not fully understand him, especially at first, but their love for him remains implicit. It was wonderfully humanizing to see the adults in Miles’ life grow right alongside him throughout the story.

In this case, too, Miles’ struggles with his family depicts such a hopeful outcome for queer kids in similar situations, who come out to their families and aren’t outright rejected, but aren’t fully and immediately accepted by them, either.

I loved the fact that we got to watch a main character discover he was on the aro spectrum in real time. It’s by no means the focus of the book, but I’ve rarely seen that identity represented well before, so it was lovely to see! My only caveat there is that the mention of the QPR right at the end of the novel felt out of place without the additional context and development given to almost every other queer topic in the book. I would have loved for this to be extrapolated on a little further, as I imagine a lot of the audience won't have encountered the term before.

i did not like it 👍
to be fair, i also didn't like white's last book, the spirit bares its teeth. i found it morally and politically shallow. but there were some really cool ideas there, an interesting and admirable approach to horror, and i hoped that the shallowness i observed was function of that book's protagonist's particular personality, rather than a fundamental quality of white's writing.
so that egg is on my face, i guess! because in compound fracture, white doubles down on everything that i found grating in spirit -- the shallowness, the hamfisted morality, the absolute refusal to dwell on complexity or allow his protagonists to be wrong in even the most minor of ways. and layered on top is this obnoxious affectation of country-isms that could make tom sawyer seem a subtle depiction of the american south. maybe it's just that it's closer to home (literally) for me since i'm from a nearby area myself, but while i understand from white's introduction that he is himself from west virginia (or his family is?), in style and substance it felt more characteristic of the kind of twitter progressive posturing than anything i recognize from my own experiences. all of that is to say -- lesson learned! no more andrew joseph white for me.
that being said, if you enjoy the idea of a "john brown did nothing wrong uwu" t-shirt i'm sure this is the kind of book that will really appeal to you.

4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for approving me for an e-arc, in exchange for an honest review.

After reading The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and absolutely adoring it, this was my most anticipated book of 2024. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it a lot.

Miles was such a lovely character to read from. I absolutely adored his family as well. It's so clear how much love there is in his family, even if they don't always say the things Miles is hoping to hear. Seeing how fiercely they all protected each other was very beautiful. I really loved how Miles shows clear autistic traits and you can see those same traits in his parents. I also liked that characters were shown using disability aids and needing accommodations, but never being viewed as weak or burdensome for that. Miles's connection with Saint might be my favorite part of the book. I got very emotional seeing them interact with each other and Miles feeling an immediate kinship with him. Also, Lady is the best dog and deserves the entire world.

I loved the setting of West Virginia. AJW's love for Appalachia is so very evident. I liked that he made point to show the South in layered, multifaceted way. I also really appreciated the depictions of community and how community shows up and protects each other in times of need, especially from those who abuse their power. Seeing how many characters were disabled and disfigured, and treated/written with so much compassion, was deeply heartwarming. I loved how blatantly and loudly this book was pro-union, pro-strike, and pro-workers rights. I found the book's discussions regarding violence, specifically the cycles of violence and how they get passed on generation after generation, very interesting. It was also interesting seeing how trauma was passed down in the same way. Something that stood out to me was the depiction of kids ending up in adult situations and the harm that comes from that.

Unsurprisingly, I found the trans and nonbinary rep really lovely. I also loved seeing the experience of knowing one aspect of your identity, but ending up questioning a different part of it. My only complaint is that the book at times did more telling than showing, though not to the point where I started to dislike the story.

I enjoyed my time reading this and I'm deeply anticipating AJW's upcoming works, including his adult debut next year.

If you already loved previous work of this autogr: HFWU or TSBIT, then youre going to love this one! The atmosphere is dark and brutal, but very fascinating in its own unique way.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ thank you netgalley and peachtree teen for this arc!

i just wanna start off by saying i feel so privileged to get to read this early, because holy hell this was good. i spent the last 100 pages on the edge of my seat, i couldn’t put it down.

i really adored this book. the choice to write this in miles’ voice gave the story so much character. i also appreciate that miles is a complex protagonist. too often authors are afraid of depicting lgbtq characters as anything other than perfect. but miles is not perfect. he makes some questionable decisions and isn’t always likeable. but that just makes me love him as character even more.

as someone who is both queer and autistic, i think the handling of miles’ identities was done so well. i wish i had more books like this available to me growing up. but this isn’t just a book about a young trans teen coming of age, this is a heart pounding thriller that, in the end, is about the importance of family and community.

I completed this in a single day and from page one, I was enraptured. The modern setting of the book was different from White's previous books, but this step into the modern was no less interesting, especially when ghosts are involved. The history of the town was felt across every chapter, and the tenseness of the political hold Sherriff Davies has on everyone made my stomach churn. Miles was an excellent protagonist, his thoughts and struggles with his sexuality and autism hitting home with me in ways I did not expect. Fast-paced and captivating, I was reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next.
My only concern was with how quickly things seemed to resolve after the climax of the book, but I do not think it detracts from the overall experience and my enjoyment of the book. I will surely be buying this when the book comes out in physical form, as Andrew Joseph White wrote another excellent novel!

PLEASE READ TRIGGER WARNINGS.

this book contains one of the worst instances of violence against an animal that i've ever read. (grain of salt: i typically avoid books with this kind of content, but wanted to read this one as... a person from appalachia also queer, non-binary, and neurodivergent.) click here if you want to know what happens: a girl rejects one of the antagonists in this story. he and his friends film themselves stabbing her pet dog to death because she rejected him. i don't share this to deter anyone from reading this but you need to know that it's graphic and it keeps coming up OFTEN in this book.

i feel extremely divided on this. on the one hand, i was appreciative of the trans and autistic rep. i liked the writing and despite this being a book with some really tough topics (violence, coming out, transphobia, opioid addiction).

i'm really struggling with a lot of things, though. this book had a lot to say about how democrats view people in rural areas as "stupid" or all trump supporters which... listen, that's a great conversation to be have. if i had a nickel for every time i saw a left-wing voter say "just saw the red states off and let them exist by themselves" while also refusing to acknowledge the fact that left-wing voters EXIST in red states and 10 times out 10 our states are gerrymandered to shit to secure a republican future i... well, i wouldn't have to live in a poor, rural town anymore. this book lacks depth in that it refuses to dissect WHY so many people in small, rural towns are right-wing voters, how they've been manipulated, how different ignorances and fears are played upon.

here's the other thing - there's no mention of race in this book at all. no racism, none. and i think that's a gigantic lapse in the writing. sure, there's a lot of discussion about transphobia but not one word about the way living in these towns impacts black and brown people to an even worse degree. but more than that - it doesn't seem like conservatism is addressed at all beyond "hey not all poor people in appalachia are trump supporters". the antagonists were snidely whiplash characters with not a lot of depth imo and there was very little discussion about how their prejudices played into their behavior, especially given this book was about a long-standing blood feud between two families.

i found a similar issue within other left-wing characters. they're running an anarchist cafe and handing out fliers and they have colored hair and pro-abortion pins. i mean, that's cool, but i really wish there'd been more depth to the characters in this.

the ultimate plot of the book was fine, i guess. i like a revenge story and i have a strong sense of morality that was making me rage at every single character in this book, including miles. it's truly not hard for me to imagine a corrupt cop and bad men taking from people because they feel as though they're entitled to it, but i found it extremely frustrating when miles' empathy button went off for a character that was complicit in abuses and physical assaults, including against miles himself.

anyway, i'll be thinking about this book for a while. the bones were all there, i'm just not sure that the book was as thorough as it could have been.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing me with an ARC of this story.

This is one of those stories that is hard to give a star rating to, because how do you quantify your reaction to a story like this? It’s about neurodivergent queer kid coming to terms with his gender, sexuality, and likely autism diagnosis, and how all of those have impacted his life and relationships in rural West Virginia. The other part of the story is about class violence and generational trauma through a blood feud with the sherrif’s family a la the Hatfields and McCoys. It also delves into the politics of unions, capitalism, and communism, and touches on the unchecked power we give to “justice” departments in the United States.

In Compound Fracture, the author discusses the generational patterns that people fall into. Miles says often that he had no choice in his life because he was born an Abernathy. This also seems to be a pattern of many of the ancillary characters; they were born into a role, a system, a society, and now they are forced to continue the song and dance of their predecessors.

The story also discusses how other people are forced into making gruesome decisions, because those decisions allow for short-term safety for themselves and their loved ones. However, the story does not seem to be terribly sympathetic towards these people that are cogs in a broken machine. Instead, the story treats these people as too broken to be redeemed, and therefore the violence is justified. Most of the conflict in the story is solved by retributive justice, and that seems to be the only type of justice that actually works in this narrative. It’s odd to me to treat people as irredeemable, especially when the book has far left-leaning politics and is critical of the justice system in the United States. The ending felt upsetting as well. It didn’t feel like real justice was served in a cruel world. Instead, the blood-feud ended, but it ended in total annihilation; it was an ending of a blood line, but it was ok because they were The Bad Guys. I just don’t know how to feel about that.

Ultimately this book was mixed for me. I felt that Miles’ journey of self-discovery was important to the story, but juxtaposed against the action and violence sequences of the book, these segments slowed down the plot. I appreciate the author discussing politics in this book, but I found the philosophy of the story questionable. In the end, I don’t know. The Abernathys seem like pride got in the way of safety, since they decided to stay in a place where they knew their family was doomed to subjugation and alienation, but I suppose this decision was made out of love for their town. I guess I just don’t understand that decision.

???(3.5?)/5 stars

[All my special thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!]
 
This is the first book in a very long time that managed to make me struggle to form feedback. Admittedly, it got me into quite a slump and felt like a chore to push through.
 
First and foremost, I treasure the fact that because of this book, I've learned many an important historical fact regarding coal mining, poverty, and injustice in the Appalachian, which I have never been taught or heard of in my life. I always appreciate it when novels can bring you knowledge through a fictional and interesting story.
 
Since I don't fall into any category represented in this book, I often feel that I'm unfit to give a detailed review of how well they were executed. However, I cannot stop myself from thinking how AJW was trying to fit in as many representations as he could, to the point that it felt unrealistic and comical. That leads me to the point about the characters. Many of them felt like caricatures, especially the antagonists, whose wrongdoings seemed all too overexaggerated for me. I'm not saying that these things cannot happen in real life, but at least, you should make it more subtle and believable in order to achieve a stronger effect. Instead, everything felt so stiff and… stereotypical. The protagonist's character-building also had the same issue, but it was only with a couple of them that felt forced. (I apologize for being unable to go into details lest of spoiling).
 
The pacing of this book is really odd to me because, at some points, the plot felt dragged out. It could've been 100 pages less and the plot would've been more concise. This feeling was particularly strong when it some of the plotlines, such as that about the hundred-year-old ghost or the Red Hollers. (Also, reading other reviews, the latter also seemed somewhat unrealistic considering the background settings.) Again, maybe it's owing to the fact that Miles's traits and mine don't really match up, I found it a challenge to connect with the protagonist and the plot, both of which felt very distant and made me sleepy.
 
Also, the ending proceeded kind of abruptly. In fact, when I got there, I couldn't believe that the book was finished.
 
Overall, I liked this book somewhat, but I'm quite sure that I'll forget about it completely by the end of this month, as I've already forgotten much by the time I finished it. In fact, I consider it to be the least compelling book I've read so far this year. It was quite a disappointment because, for something built on a unique and intriguing premise, it was given quite a dull execution. Having said that, it is highly likely that this book simply does not work for me, so if you're a huge fan of AJW, you shouldn't shy away from it. Until this point, it seems like this book is still receiving a plethora of raving reviews from readers, and you might also be one of them. I suggest that you read others' reviews to get for yourself a comprehensive picture.

P/S: This review is likely to be altered later. The one uploaded on Goodreads would be more up-to-date.

Compound Fracture was an incredible read. White has the ability to write stories that are so raw, real, and difficult, while weaving in a thread of hope for the future, and Compound Fracture was no different. The Appalachin setting felt authentic, as did the feelings of growing up queer and neurodivergent in a small town. I absolutely loved Miles’s interest in his family’s history and how he found connections with ancestors he had never met, beyond just the feud that impacts them both. In the end, community coming together is what finally combats the decades long power struggle this town has faced, allowing for that classic thread of hope.

I ADORE THIS BOOK. As a trans west virginian who works with queer appalachian youth, this book spoke to me so deeply. Especially the MCs experiences of despite eveything that happened, still feeling so connected to WV and not wanting to leave
I am so excited to reccommend this to so many other queer appalachian

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s truly a wonderful thing when the execution of a story exceeds your expectations. This book was a fast-paced rollercoaster from beginning to end. It definitely leaned more into the thriller aspect than expected, which was a pleasant surprise. The first thing I have to commend this book on is its originality; it is completely unlike anything else I’ve ever read in the best way possible. The characters and settings are also wonderfully written, with the characters being nuanced in a way that makes you unable to decide if they are good or bad and the setting creating the perfect atmosphere for the story. Each scene unfolds in a way that feels straight out of a movie and keeps you turning the pages to see what will happen next. It also didn’t shy away from heavy content, whether it be the political themes or the gore, and all of them were handled excellently.

One of the things happened at the end of the story I had mixed feelings on however, and since I can’t say too much without spoiling, all I’ll say is that some characters seemed a little too calm when they found out about certain things Miles had done. Other aspects of the ending also sort of wrapped up pretty quickly and neatly, but despite that I enjoyed it.

The only other thing I can even begin to criticize isn’t something that is the fault of the story at all, and that’s the blurb, which I personally think gives away a bit too much information. The part where it mentions Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who beat him up didn’t actually happen until about the 25% mark, so throughout the beginning of the story, although it was just as interesting, I was wondering when this was going to happen. I feel like it would have worked better had that bit not been revealed in the blurb, that way when it happened readers could have been just as surprised as Miles was in that moment.

Overall, there’s no many bad things I can say about this book (the only criticisms I did have were nitpicking to begin with). It has well written characters, a unique plot, and was engaging throughout the whole thing. Oh and the cover’s beautiful as always, I’m looking forward to buying a hard copy and seeing it sitting on my shelf when this comes out in September!

~Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰ .75~

This is my first book from AJW, and after reading it, I can't wait to explore more of his work. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although there were some parts that were a bit slow, the topics discussed in the book were incredibly relevant. The portrayal of undiagnosed autism in this book was phenomenal. I've never come across something that accurately captures the experience and emotions of living with undiagnosed autism and finally realizing it. It felt like someone else finally understood me.

One of my favorite quotes from the book was, 'It's everything I tried to cover up, everything I thought was me being weird or weak, a cluster of quirks and failures coming together like a constellation.'

Overall, the story was gripping and kept me hooked. It covered a range of topics that resonated with me personally. The only aspect that bothered me slightly was the repetitive emphasis on political ideas. While I understand that it was used to highlight the conservative nature of certain states, it did come across as a bit preachy at times.

Despite that, I would still highly recommend reading this book for an exciting roller coaster ride. It's definitely worth it.

This novel is about a bloody family feud spanning a hundred years. The Abernathys are descended from poor rural miners whose lives were treated as expendable by ruthless capitalists. The rebellion was quashed by cops. Now, the county lives in fear of its corrupt sheriff and his son, who have no qualms murdering anyone who threatens their authority.

Miles Abernathy discovers evidence that could unseat the sheriff. Unfortunately, the sheriff’s son finds out and beats him almost to death, then the sheriff comes around and threatens him into silence. Miles also starts seeing his ancestor’s ghost, the one who started it all. He gets caught up in a clash that sweeps across the whole county and it is up to him to end it once and for all.

This is not a feel-good read. There is violence, gore, corpses, and explicit descriptions of psychopaths cutting up animals and people. Other triggers include transphobia, homophobia, and queer teens getting outed in front of their family. But this is also a story about self-discovery, bravery, abolition, neurodivergence, finding community, family, and most importantly, fighting back.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen for the ARC copy they provided.

Holy. Hell.

Those are the first words that come to mind when sitting down to review this book. I fell in love with Andrew Joseph White’s writing with Hell Followed With Us, and while I don’t think any book can take the place of Andrew’s first book in my heart, Compound Fracture is a close second.

Let me start by saying, as a queer, autistic person, reading Andrew’s books is like finding a bit of myself in every page. In Compound Fracture, I found myself in Miles’ self discovery of being autistic. The realization emotions, and showing them being physical work that has to be thought through. Every. Single. Time. Hit me like a brick. Because that’s me. What are emotions and why do they exist?? Like, it’s hard to get why things hit people so hard, while I’m sitting in a corner going, “What?” Knowing that this isn’t just me, and that I’m not alone, is relieving. And validating. I’m not alone in working hard to relate to the people I love and care for.

Thank you for that assurance, Andrew. I needed it.

As for the story itself… Holy. Hell.

I was pulled in immediately, and though I knew there wouldn’t be any traditional “happy ending,” because that isn’t what Andrew has written thus far, and Compound Fracture isn’t a departure from his previous style, I was still floored by several of the twists and turns this book took.
And the rep for trans people in the age before gender affirming care? Top notch. I wasn’t expecting it and I loved it. I think I fell head over heels for Saint Abernathy, and wish I could have more of him and his story. That in itself would make an amazing book.

One thing in particular I found interesting with Compound Fracture is the fact this is the first book by Andrew I've read that’s set in the present day, with little to no supernatural elements. Sure, Saint lingering around long after his death lends this a magical realism element, but it is not a huge focus of the book, and is almost unnoticeable, given for most of the story Miles doesn’t know if he’s just hallucinating because of his head injury. I love seeing authors try new things, and this setting, and lack of supernatural forces driving the horror, was a great turn. Truly can’t wait to see what Andrew will write next.

Seriously. I think Andrew Joseph White has taken the place of my favorite author of this age of my life, and I look forward to more from him. And if you are into horror and queer characters, raging against societal injustice, you’re going to love his books, too.