The Compound by S. A. Bodeen

When the US was attacked with nuclear weapons, Eli and most of his family were the lucky ones with an underground compound where they were safe.  To be safe, they had to stay in the compound for 15 years.  Six years have now passed and Eli has grown into a solitary teen who hates to be touched.  His twin brother Eddy and his grandmother had both been accidentally left out of the compound when the door was shut.  Though he tries not to think of his brother, he finds himself often dwelling on him.  His other siblings who are in the compound with him and his parents are either ignored or heaped with abuse.  The pace of life in the compound is slow and steady, with everyone relying on their routines to keep sane.  Something is about to happen to shatter that complacency and make them question everything.

Bodeen has written a taut thriller that male teen readers will enjoy.  The dynamic between Eli and his family rings true as does his desperation to be separate and alone.  As the truth about their life is revealed to the reader in tantalizingly brief glimpses, readers will be unable to put the book down.  Bodeen’s pacing is masterfully crafted from the slow, almost claustrophobic early part of the novel to the breakneck speed as their world changes.  Eli is a distasteful protagonist who is neither kind nor interested in others, one might think this would make him less effective, but instead it makes the book even more gripping and fascinating as the reader deals with this unreliable narrator.

Highly recommended for teen readers who enjoy Scott Westerfeld’s dystopian fiction.