Collected's TWELVE BOOKS OF CHRISTMAS | The Compound - Aisling Rawle

COLLECTED LOVES... As fascinating and addictive as the reality television it mimics, Rawle establishes her talent with this exceptional debut. With the added layer of access to the particiapnt's thoughts 'The Compound' is a thrilling, page turning story. Rawle balances analysis with understanding of the characters and the enticement of capatalism, fame and fortune. Exploring mind games and performative reality under surveillance, a real stand-out this year!

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You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, along with nine other women. All of you are young, all beautiful, all keen to escape the grinding poverty, political unrest and environmental catastrophe of the outside world. You realise that cameras are tracking your every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans. Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey. What will you have to do to win? And what happens to the losers?

The Compound is an addictive literary satire on modern excess: it holds a twisted mirror up to our obsession with winning, losing and, above all, watching.