The Compound: A Novel

Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Winner takes all. “I dare you not to tear through The Compound at lightning speed.”—Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl “The Compound is a debut so gripping and propulsive that it beats reality TV at its own game.”—Torrey Peters, bestselling author of Detransition, Baby “Impossible to put down.”—Leila Mottley, New York Times bestselling author of Nightcrawling Lily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door. Cameras are catching all her angles, good and bad, but Lily has no desire to leave: why would she, when the world outside is falling apart? As the competition intensifies, intimacy between the players deepens, and it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between desire and desperation. When the unseen producers raise the stakes, forcing contestants into upsetting, even dangerous situations, the line between playing the game and surviving it begins to blur. If Lily makes it to the end, she’ll receive prizes beyond her wildest dreams—but what will she have to do to win? Addictive and prescient, The Compound is an explosive debut from a major new voice in fiction and will linger in your mind long after the game ends.