Starred review from June 24, 2024
Autistic transgender 16-year-old Miles Abernathy and his socialist family have been feuding with Twist Creek’s governing powers ever since a former sheriff killed Miles’s great-great-grandfather, who led a labor strike a century ago. After finding proof of current sheriff Davies’s involvement in a fatal incident that injured Miles’s father and disrupted locals’ efforts to have Davies removed from power, Miles and his friend Cooper are violently attacked by the sheriff’s son and his gang. Following the assault, Miles is haunted by a strangely familiar figure wearing a red bandana and ends up embroiled in deadly, simmering tensions that will change the course of Twist Creek forever. Frank and evocative language by White (The Spirit Bares Its Teeth) confronts harrowing circumstances surrounding what decades of being “crunched under the boot of a rightwing government”—and the failure of Twist Creek residents to engage with Appalachia’s long history of worker-centered advocacy—have wrought within the region. 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. The protagonists cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer March Soloway, Andrea Brown Literary.
Starred review from July 1, 2024
An autistic, transgender teen seeks justice as a 100-year-old feud threatens his family and anyone who associates with them. In 1917, the sheriff of Twist Creek County executed a man named Saint Abernathy, leader of the coal miners' strike, by hammering a railroad spike through his mouth. A century later, the mines have closed, but Miles, as an Abernathy, is caught up in the cycle of oppression and violent vengeance that killed his great-great-grandfather Saint. On the night of the annual high school graduation party, Miles hits send on an email telling his parents he's trans and then sneaks out of the house with photos stolen from his father's lockbox--photos offering proof that Sheriff Davies caused the "accident" that killed Miles' former best friend Cooper's mother five years ago. Before Cooper and Miles can decide on their next steps, the feud is reignited, and neither of them can outrun the flames. White captures violence with vivid and lethal precision. Set in rural West Virginia in 2017, this tremendously suspenseful, queer coming-of-age thriller confronts the impact of economic injustice, local political corruption, and generational trauma. As Miles fights for himself and his family, he's haunted by the ghost of Saint Abernathy. His struggle to understand his ancestor parallels his journey to understand and accept himself. The cast of white characters includes representation of those who are marginalized for being fat, disabled, and queer and living with disfigurement. The hopeful, satisfying ending emerges from community collaboration. Unflinching and empowering. (Thriller. 14-18)
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Starred review from September 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Almost HeavenA century after his great-great-grandfather Saint Abernathy was publicly executed with a railroad spike for inciting a miners' rebellion, trans autistic Miles is a proud 16-year-old socialist still seeking justice for his family. He is infuriated by the way his people, the rural poor, are treated by those with power in Twist Creek County, West Virginia. Though a hundred years have passed, the longstanding feud ensures that everyone knows what it means to be an Abernathy: it means trouble, and it means that, for their own good, people look the other way. And Miles is tired of being denigrated while no one in the county does anything about the problems plaguing them all.After coming out to his parents as trans, Miles sneaks off to a graduation party, armed with photographs proving that the county's Sheriff Davies was directly involved in the accident that killed the mom of Miles' friend Cooper. Miles, subsequently cornered by the sheriff's son, Noah, and his friends, is beaten nearly to death before Cooper gets him to the hospital, narrowly saving his life. Recovery proves brutal, both physically and mentally, and to top it off, Sheriff Davies visits to remind Miles that keeping silent is the only way to survive as an Abernathy in Twist Creek County. That's when the spirit of his great-great--grandfather Saint appears, sullied and beaten and with the railroad spike exactly where the Davies' ancestor left it.Staying silent has never worked in Miles' favor, and Saint's presence feels like it's calling him to end the blood feud once and for all. When, during an altercation with Miles, Noah's friend Eddie is accidentally killed, Miles and Cooper are pushed to finish things by murdering the rest of Noah's gang. Miles struggles with his fury and fear surrounding the dispute, but he wants to make things better for his hometown. An enlightening reconnection with an old friend, now out as nonbinary and with a family that owns a socialist, worker-owned co-op, helps Miles believe that he and his community might be able to fight for the West Virginia they love. "For all its problems, it's mine. For all the overdose deaths, environmental disasters, and reactionary politics, West Virginia is mine."Compound Fracture is White's third novel and possibly his best thus far, delivering evocative, haunting prose and eloquently exploring economic injustice, poverty, generational trauma, and how easy it is to sink one's teeth into violence and revenge as a result. The story centers workers' rights and classism in rural West Virginia, presenting Twist Creek County with as much character as anyone else. It's a love letter to the people, especially blue-collar workers and communists who work to make rural West Virginia a more equitable place to live. Meanwhile, Miles is a character whose voice and story will grip readers at once and hold on long after the final page, and his narration never allows the reader to look away from the atrocities created by capitalism and classism: "I'm mad that this is the shape the world takes, I'm mad that we've both been put here, I'm mad because it don't got to be this way."Miles' portrayal as a trans, autistic, and aromantic teenager is a standout piece of representation, allowing for the complexities of coming out in a rural small town combined with the unconditional love Miles receives from his family and his LGBTQ+ community. His fierce self-determination and steadfast pride in himself shine on the page. And beyond Miles, the novel never shies away from grappling with difficult topics, always in a way that takes care of its queer, trans, aromantic-spectrum, disfigured, and...
Starred review from September 27, 2024
Gr 10 Up-Miles couldn't have known that he would end up on the receiving end of a brutal assault the same night he scheduled his coming-out email to his parents, but the combined situations and the subsequent death of one of his attackers at Miles's hand (accidentally, but still) sets off a chain of vengeance. Cooper, Miles's best friend and maybe more, is dead set on stomping out those responsible for the West Virginia town's deep corruption and well-known abuses of power at any cost, but as Miles reconnects with his old friend Dallas, his perspective of Cooper's decisions and demands is shifting. Things spiral further out of control, and Miles's ancestor Saint begins appearing, clearly trying to tell him something. Characters that cut to the bone illuminate the corrosive nature of hatred for all involved and highlight the healing power of a loving, accepting family-even an imperfect one. Miles's dog Lady adds an irresistibly compelling emotional draw, allowing the story's deep cuts to hit even harder. Political commentary lies alongside darkly graphic violence, and yet the heart-pounding whole feels undeniably hopeful and alive. White's third book is also his most realistic, blending the grit of poverty and small-town power struggles with the social violence that accompanies being different; in Miles's case, being trans and autistic add layers of risk to his already dangerous existence as a member of the locally demonized and ostracized Abernathy family. VERDICT Unputdownable, unbelievably powerful, deranged, and magnificently defiant. Hold on to your humanity for dear life, readers.-Allie Stevens
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2024
Miles Abernathy lives in a struggling West Virginia town in 2017. Power is monopolized by the Davieses, the family of the sheriff and the Abernathys' mortal enemies in a blood feud that began with the murder of Miles's great-great-grandfather, who dared to challenge the corrupt ruling class. Tired of the Davieses' ruthless pursuit of dominance and control, Miles tries to undermine the sheriff but is wholly unprepared for the chain of events one small act of defiance sets off. White (The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, rev. 11/23) crafts a high-stakes thriller that is atmospheric and suspenseful -- with a touch of the supernatural -- while also nuanced and incisive in its exploration of violence (at times extreme and graphically depicted) and its impact on individual and collective psyches. The story raises and addresses questions of power, agency, and complicity through an intimate first-person narrative of a teen who feels the injustice of the world on a deep and personal level and must decide how far he is willing to go to change his situation. Miles also experiences the trials and tribulations of coming out as trans in a small town, realizing that he is autistic, and questioning his romantic orientation. These elements are well integrated into the story and coincide with developments in the thriller plotline, making for a multilayered, engrossing read. Shenwei Chang
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
July 1, 2024
Miles Abernathy lives in a struggling West Virginia town in 2017. Power is monopolized by the Davieses, the family of the sheriff and the Abernathys' mortal enemies in a blood feud that began with the murder of Miles's great-great-grandfather, who dared to challenge the corrupt ruling class. Tired of the Davieses' ruthless pursuit of dominance and control, Miles tries to undermine the sheriff but is wholly unprepared for the chain of events one small act of defiance sets off. White (The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, rev. 11/23) crafts a high-stakes thriller that is atmospheric and suspenseful -- with a touch of the supernatural -- while also nuanced and incisive in its exploration of violence (at times extreme and graphically depicted) and its impact on individual and collective psyches. The story raises and addresses questions of power, agency, and complicity through an intimate first-person narrative of a teen who feels the injustice of the world on a deep and personal level and must decide how far he is willing to go to change his situation. Miles also experiences the trials and tribulations of coming out as trans in a small town, realizing that he is autistic, and questioning his romantic orientation. These elements are well integrated into the story and coincide with developments in the thriller plotline, making for a multilayered, engrossing read.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)