The Compound (review)

In an effort to prepare for a nuclear disaster, Eli's egomaniacal and absurdly wealthy father had a shelter built to accommodate his whole family for fifteen years; when the time finally came, he rushed his wife and children to safety, but Eli's twin brother and grandmother didn't make it inside. Now Eli's remaining family has been in the Compound for six years, and even with the reduced numbers, the food supplies are dwindling rapidly. Beginning to suspect that his father is hiding something important, fifteen-year-old Eli is shocked to realize that there's still life aboveground. After discovering his father to be even more untrustworthy and dangerous than he believed, Eli realizes that there will be life for all of them back on the surface if they can escape his dad, and that the lives of his mother and siblings depend on him. It's an arresting setup, sort of a tragic version of Blast from the Past's comedic take on the notion, and the suspenseful pace will keep readers engrossed as the book reveals the many horrible deceptions Eli's father has enacted as part of his grand experiment. Unfortunately, these cruelties played out on the family are so over the top (e.g., intentional starvation to determine whether cannibalism is an instinctive survival technique) that they become melodramatic contrivances, weakening the otherwise sturdy and well-crafted mystery plot. In addition, Eli, hopelessly caught too long in unchanging guilt over being the surviving twin, makes for an unsympathetic narrator, as readers will likely tire of his angst while his family suffers around him unnoticed. In spite of the flaws, the movie-ready plot and flashy climax will still attract thriller fans, who will likely start imagining which new teen star could play Eli in the film version.