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The Compound

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The Compound

By: Aisling Rawle
Narrated by: Lucy Boynton
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About this listen

 ** A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK **

‘Relentlessly gripping’ ABIGAIL DEAN

‘Menace-dipped’ THE TIMES

‘Thrilling and haunting’ NEW YORK TIMES

'Lord of the Flies meets Love Island’ LOUISE O’NEILL

‘Gripping and propulsive’ TORREY PETERS

‘THIS is the book to read this summer’ CECELIA AHERN

'Brilliant’ DAILY MIRROR

‘Written with total verve and delight’ STYLIST

You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, with nine other women.

All of you are young, beautiful, and keen to escape the catastrophe of the outside world.

Cameras broadcast your every move to millions of reality TV fans.

Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they survive the journey.

What will you do to win?

And what happens to the losers?

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– READERS ARE GRIPPED

‘Ok I seriously loved this. The story is so addictive. There are sudden twists, simmering uneasiness and a wholly fitting ending that has stayed with me since I finished reading it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Deliciously dark, this was a real page turner that I couldn't wait to get back to each night' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘There aren't many books that I would want to read twice, but this is one of them' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A fun beach read, perfect for the summer' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I absolutely inhaled this. What a read. Materialism, wealth, love… Wow. So original and well written' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

©2025 Aisling Rawle (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Contemporary Dystopian Editors Select Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Exciting Witty

Editorial Review

An unputdownable listen to devour seaside
Fans of bingeable reality TV and speculative fiction alike will find themselves gripped by the premise of Aisling Rawle's debut. Our beautiful heroine Lily wakes inside "the compound"—the remote desert set of a blockbuster reality show—where she must compete against 18 other contestants to earn both prizes and the right to stay. Amidst the romance and machinations, there's also this mysterious, niggling sense that just maybe beyond the borders of their titular home, there's an apocalyptic event on the horizon. Beyond that unnerving mystery, the combustion engine at the heart of this stylish story is Rawle's nuanced understanding of the motivations at play when beautiful people rank themselves against one another. She renders them far more human and tangible than the show producers ever would. It was enough to make this listener wonder if the author herself had ever enjoyed a stint of temporary fame; but it's more likely that—as a secondary school teacher by trade—Rawle knows better than most the feeling of sharks swarming. —Emily C., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
Great narration! The concept of this book was really interesting to me and the story kept me on the edge of my seat.

Amazing story

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Like watching Black Mirror and Big Brother at the same time! Twisted, fun and somewhat disturbing. Brilliant Narrator!

Thrilling!

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I couldn’t stop listening — I was hooked and just had to know how it all ended! The story was amazing. I only wish the author had given us a bit more depth on the characters so we could really connect with them on a deeper level. I’d love to see this turned into a movie!

Addictive!

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This book was so disappointing. Methodical plot, humorless and two dimensional and there were no redeemable characters.

Lead character a drip

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This was not a psychological thriller in the least. It was like listening to a very long episode of Big Brother. Not what I expected.

Over hyped - mediocre

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