The Compound

The Compound by S. A. Bodeen

I’m quite surprised that it has taken me this long to write about The Compound. I read it voraciously in two days. I could not put it down. It put forth a new idea, or option rather, in my head. Dystopian Literature need not be epic or earth-shattering. In fact, a microcosm is an extraordinarily simple way to introduce apocalyptism (new word) to the reluctant reader.

So… for kids who are intrigued by the cult-following of books like The Hunger Games, but cannot or will not devote the time it takes to wade through three long novels, here is catastrophe in under 250 pages! The Compound is one of the Abraham Lincoln Award Nominees for 2012. Remember, this award is designed for high school-aged kids; however, there has been some cross-over. I think The Compound would work well for boys, 6^th through 8^th grade. Perhaps especially well for boys with sisters…

The protagonist is 15-year-old, “evil” twin, Eli. He acknowledges that he is the less likeable of the twins. Everybody loves Eddy and Eddy is everyone’s friend. Eli has always benefitted from his “twin” status with the beloved brother. Other kids put up with Eli – it is a two for one deal. But now, Eli is sealed off in the compound and his only brother and best friend didn’t make it. And it’s Eli’s fault Eddy was left outside to die in a nuclear attack.

Eli and the rest of his family have survived in the compound for six years. His billionaire father planned for every contingency. They had cows, chickens, a hydroponics lab, a research lab, a medical lab, exercise room, big screen TVs and every known DVD and book. The billionaire didn’t want his family to want for anything. They have a music room to practice their instruments. They have a studio to practice dance. They have a warehouse big enough to accommodate for fifteen years’ worth of food as well as a basketball court.

Unfortunately, there have been setbacks at every turn. Eddy’s job was to manage the garden, but since he’s gone, it’s Eli’s job to handle both the livestock and the garden. Poison killed the livestock eventually. The food is going bad before its time. And Eli’s father has a horrible plan for the continued survival of his family if the food runs out before the compound opens to the devastation left behind on the outside. Let’s call them The Supplements…

Each family member has dealt with their losses in different ways. Eli’s younger sister, Terese, who entered the compound when she was six, has never grown up. She watches Mary Poppins continually and speaks with a British accent. Lexie, Eli’s older, adopted sister, has turned on her mother and sided with her father. Eli has not allowed another person to touch him skin to skin since entering the compound and he hides behind a curtain of hair.

Eli doesn’t know how he can face another nine years in the compound. He enters his brother’s unused bedroom for the first time and discovers an old laptop – that still has wireless capabilities. And he makes contact, momentarily, with someone on the outside. Have they been living a lie? Has his father gone mad? Can Eli reenter “life” and save them all from the shadow life they have been living?

It is quite possible that a sequel could be in the works. It doesn’t need one though. It’s brief and perfect and clean in its own 245 pages. If you love a good mystery, this might even suffice.