Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen


"T.S. Eliot was wrong."

The abstract is hidden because it absolutely does contain spoilers. If you would like to read the full abstract, simply use your cursor to highlight the next few lines and the full abstract will magically appear.
Abstract: After his parents, two sisters, and he have spent six years in a vast underground compound built by his wealthy father to protect them from a nuclear holocaust, fifteen-year-old Eli, whose twin brother and grandmother were left behind, discovers that his father has perpetrated a monstrous hoax on them all.

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends; 248 pages

4 comments:

Miss Marra said...

Cool cover. Okay book. Some aspects of the story made me feel very creepy (the babies!), and sometimes I KNEW that I should feel really creeped out, but somehow didn't quite "get" what the author was insinuating (what was going on with his sister?). Probably a good thing that I was confused.

But I'll absolutely recommend this book to the same crew that I enthusiastically give Margaret peterson Haddix books.

Jen said...

I was totally sucked in, and utterly horrified, by this book. As a person who does think about the effects of marketing, the horrific treatment of those babies and the twisted logic of it all wasn't lost on me.

The whole "hair as barrier" thing was lost on me, and some of the familial relationships seemed a little off; but why wouldn't they, considering the situation I suppose.

Did I have to totally suspend my belief to read this book? Sure. Totally. Is it noteworthy? Not so much. Worth the ride, though? I thought so.

lisarenea said...

This book boasts a new and different storyline, interesting conflicts, intensity and fast paced action. The weakness rests with the development of the characters. So much is said about the main character being unwilling to touch another person, hiding behind his hair, etc. -- and yet we really don't understand why -- which leads to little or no celebration when he is better. The secondary characters were not fully developed and so, I felt little for them -- even when it seemed important for the story.
I will recommend this for the story - but for readers like me that love a good character that stays with you - not so much.

Anonymous said...

This book had a good story line but it was hard for me to believe all the aspects of the tale. For instance, I don't understand how Eli could have been so oblivious to his surroundings for 6 years. The story seemed a bit far fetched. I don't think it was excecuted as well as it could have been.