Compound Fracture
Andrew Joseph White
Peachtree Teen
Published September 3, 2024

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About Compound Fracture

Bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Joseph White returns with a queer Appalachian thriller, that pulls no punches, for teens who see the failures in our world and are pushing for radical change.

A gut-wrenching story following a trans autistic teen who survives an attempted murder, only to be drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him.

The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement. Now, Miles becomes the feud’s latest victim as the sheriff’s son and his friends sniff out the evidence, follow him through the woods, and beat him nearly to death.

In the hospital, the ghost of a soot-covered man hovers over Miles’s bedside while Sheriff Davies threatens Miles into silence. But when Miles accidentally kills one of the boys who hurt him, he learns of other folks in Twist Creek who want out from under the sheriff’s heel. To free their families from this cycle of cruelty, they’re willing to put everything on the line—is Miles?

A visceral, unabashedly political page-turner that won’t let you go until you’ve reached the end, Compound Fracture is not for the faint of heart, but it is for every reader who is ready to fight for a better world.

My Review

I only learned about the miners’ rebellion in 1920 earlier this year when I read Mine Wars by Steve Watkins. It was hard to imagine the bloodiness and violence of those events, but having read a historical account, I couldn’t help thinking about how the violence in this book echoed the horror of those real-life experiences.

Every time I pick up a book by Andrew Joseph White, I worry that it will be too much for me. I tend to be more sensitive to violence in media, so it’s hard for me to read certain things. Yet, every time I pick up one of his books, I’m swept away by the writing and the unapologetic storytelling that centers characters who survive some of humanity’s darkest treatment.

Compound Fracture drops its readers into the middle of a generations-old feud in a small West Virginia town. Early in the story, the main character, Miles, is beaten severely. We know what happens largely because we see him surrounded by people with ill intent, and then we get an account of his severe injuries when he wakes up in the hospital later. I appreciated that this scene, in particular, wasn’t shown in detail.

I couldn’t stop reading this book. The story feels urgent and intense in the kind of way that makes you want to squeeze in one more chapter. And one more. And…

Which is how I read this whole book in less than 24 hours. If you love dark Appalachian stories or stories with a strong tie to historical events, check this one out. It reminded me a little bit of The Ballad of Dinah Caldwell by Kate Brauning.

Also, shout-out to Lady, Miles’ dog and one of my favorite characters in the whole book. I love that she’s pictured on the cover!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Miles is an autistic transgender boy. A friend is nonbinary. Another friend is queer. Miles speculates about another possibly transgender character.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some f-bombs and other profanity. A few instances of transphobic and homophobic comments.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to romantic relationships and mention of queerplatonic partnership.

Spiritual Content
Miles sees an apparition when he’s in intense situations.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Threatening and bullying behavior. Three boys jump Miles, nearly beating him to death (off scene). A boy hits another boy in the face and knocks him down. Two people dispose of a body. More than one person shoots another person, sometimes fatally. More than one person leaves a victim bleeding out and expects them to die.

References to someone causing a car accident that left one person dead and another with severe burns. Someone sets an occupied building on fire. References to and brief descriptions of Miles’ ancestor’s brutal murder and other instances of violence between miners and others.

Reference to cruelty to animals. Miles recalls someone killing a dog as a way to punish someone.

Drug Content
Miles’ dad recovered from an opioid addiction. Other people in the community still struggle with addiction. Miles experiences withdrawals from stopping opioid medication after being injured. Miles and another boy drink alcohol together. Another character smokes cigarettes.

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