Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph WhiteMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Andrew Joseph White has made something of a name for himself these past few years (at least as far as this reader is concerned) writing stories about trans teenagers. This book strikes a whole lot closer to home than his previous two, as it is set in West Virginia in 2017, and name-checks Donald Trump and US politics. In fact, this book is far more political than the author's first two ( Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth ) combined, so if you object to in-your-face progressive politics (the protagonist calls himself a socialist) you should think about skipping this. If you are a conservative, and especially a MAGA conservative, you will likely be enraged by many of the things contained therein.
Having said all this, I didn't like this as much as the first two, and not because of the politics. The author seems to have a fairly accurate depiction of the people of West Virginia, their poverty, hopelessness and pride, why they distrust coastal "elites" and many of them refuse to leave, even those who, like our trans protagonist Miles, face fear and oppression just for existing. I enjoyed the part of the storyline that refers to a century-old coal-miner's strike, led by Miles' great-great-grandfather Saint Abernathy (who also turns out to be trans) and how that conflict has echoed down to the present day, affecting everyone in Twist Creek County. Miles' family, the Abernathys, are feared and distrusted by nearly everyone, and are persecuted by Sheriff Davies and his ilk. The sheriff is the primary antagonist, a strutting little tyrant who manipulates and rules over everyone in Miles' small town, to the point of trying to murder Miles' father for simply attempting to run for office.
No, what put me off this book a bit is the fact that Miles and his best friend/possible boyfriend Cooper exhibit some...sociopathic murderous tendencies? Although I do understand it to a point: at the story's beginning, Miles is nearly beaten to death by the sheriff's son Noah and a couple of his buddies, and Miles knows there will be no justice; in fact, Sheriff Davies threatens him into saying he did not see who attacked him. So I can understand why he would feel that his back is against the wall, and the only way out is to kill his tormentors. At the same time, he also starts seeing the ghost of Saint Abernathy and realizes that he is autistic. This last character beat in particular rings true, especially Miles' habit of chewing on a shoelace to calm himself down and keep from chewing on his hair.
Nevertheless, Cooper and Miles are participants in three murders (the first was an accident, but they hid the body afterwards by throwing it down a mine shaft) and Miles doesn't really feel remorse for any of it? At the same time, this is a very complicated and nuanced situation, and I imagine many people will disagree with my assessment of it. I'm sure the school of thought that Miles and the people of Twist Creek had no other choice than to rise up against their tormenters will carry the day for many readers.
(Content warning: There is a dog on the cover, Miles' dog Lady. Not only does the dog not die, but she saves Miles and saves the day at the climax, albeit in a rather grisly fashion.)
In the end, I think this is a timely, thought-provoking book, even if I wish I liked it more than I did. Nevertheless, I think it will enhance the author's already burgeoning reputation.
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