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Compound Fracture

by Andrew Joseph White

A family feud shaped by coal-country history

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A family feud shaped by coal-country history

Set in Twist Creek, West Virginia, Compound Fracture connects a present-day conflict over local power to a miners’ rebellion a century earlier. Sixteen-year-old Miles Abernathy holds evidence implicating the sheriff in an incident that harmed his family and derailed a grassroots effort to remove him. The source describes Miles as a trans autistic teen, a socialist, and a proud West Virginian; his personal stakes are bound up with the wider struggle between rural residents and those who exploit them. Violence, a ghostly presence, and a community’s resistance bring thriller and supernatural elements into a story grounded in class conflict, local history, and political struggle.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in LGBTQ+ fiction featuring a trans protagonist.
  • Readers seeking a thriller set in Appalachia and shaped by labor and community conflict.
  • Readers interested in stories about political resistance and family history, with supernatural elements.

Themes

Trans identityAppalachian community and local historyClass conflict and labor resistancePolitical power and grassroots organizingFamily legacy

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book

A queer Appalachian thriller that pulls no punches--following a trans autistic teen who's drawn into the generational struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them.

The INSTANT New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestselling novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White!


The limited-quantity first printing of this powerful novel features specially-designed endpapers with photos of West Virginia coal mines from The Library of Congress!

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's ready to fight for a better world. Hand this story to teens pushing for radical change.
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