Compound Fracture

Andrew Joseph White

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Book cover for ean 9781682636121
Book cover for ean 9781682636121

Compound Fracture

Compound Fracture

Andrew Joseph White

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Description

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 accidently 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.

About the Author

Andrew Joseph White is a queer, trans author from Virginia, where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University in 2022. Andrew writes about trans folks with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back.

Critical Reviews

★ "This unapologetically gruesome story of a trans Appalachian teen channeling strength to preserve his family's legacy amidst intergenerational trauma has the power to leave readers profoundly changed."--Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

★ "White's latest is a stunning testament to the intertwining realities of politics and queerness, as well as community focused ideologies and the impact of those ideals in the face of oppression."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ "Tremendously suspenseful. . . The hopeful, satisfying ending emerges from community collaboration. Unflinching and empowering."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"White has crafted an engrossing horror-thriller that wears its heart--and guts--on its sleeve. Defiant to the end, Compound Fracture uses a century-old blood feud, Appalachian history and politics, and a touch of the supernatural to explore the ways new generations must reckon with old wrongs." --Erica Waters, author of The River Has Teeth and All That Consumes Us

Publishing Information

Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Pub date: 2024-09-03
Length: 416 pages

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