The Compound by Aisling Rawle is a vaguely dystopian novel about Lily, a woman who competes in a reality TV show that is a mashup of Survivor, Big Brother and Love Island. It takes place in a compound located in a remote desert area where contestants win prizes by completing group and individual challenges, and they remain in the compound only if they wake up each morning next to a member of the opposite sex. Lily, escaping from a depressing, unfulfilling existence, wants to get as far as she can on the show as possible. Rawle’s addictive story delves into some of the worst qualities in people (and ones that show up so frequently on reality TV): vanity, materialism, self-centeredness, dishonesty, ego, and the drive to dominate and win. I enjoyed the deep dive into group dynamics (the coupling requirement forced a lot of uneasy alliances), and the way the show’s producers expertly manipulated the contestants was beyond disturbing. The Compound is uneasy, propulsive reading that you cannot look away from and need to see through to the almost biblical ending. This may not be for everyone, but it made for a great beach read over the holiday.