Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 When the United States is attacked with nuclear bombs, our protagonist, Eli, and his family are rushed into an underground compound. The compound was his father's idea. His father is a billionaire and used those billions to create the massive compound where his family could live in luxury and comfort for exactly 15 years after the bombs were detonated. At the 15 year mark, the doors to the compound are set to open - this is when the family will again enter the world. 
 The problem? Eli's twin, Eddy, was accidentally left behind, and so was their grandmother. Eli has to deal with his guilt every single day; his guilt over being the one to make it - he, the twin who was selfish and only out to please himself. 
 The other problem? Eli has come to hate the compound. He views it as his prison. Food sources seem to have been sabotaged before they even entered the compound. The lengths his father has gone to to create more food is disgusting and horrifying. 
 Upon the 6-year anniversary of moving into the compound, Eli learns that his father hasn't been honest with the rest of the family. They have all come to loathe each other, but his father is the worst of all. Eli learns that his father has been using the internet; something he didn't think even existed anymore. After sneaking online for a few minutes, Eli learns the true extent of his father's deceit and he vows to get his family out of the compound... immediately. 
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 This book is truly disturbing! Oh goodness, it so is. 
 ***SPOILERS AHEAD!!*** 
 Total page-turner. I mean, really. I read this book in one sitting. There was never a dull moment. S.A. Bodeen obviously did not feel the need to drag it out unnecessarily, which I appreciated greatly. My one problem with this book is reality. Despite the genre this book is filed under, this is not a science fiction novel, nor is it dystopia. It's a thriller. It's meant to be something that could truly happen. The reasons behind Rex (Eli's father) doing his "experiment" were bogus and not really even explained - the planning behind it, the reasoning. The guy was obviously a space cadet, but even so, he must've thought he had some sort of good reason to do what he did. & if he really was just a nut job, why wasn't that explained? Small holes. 
 That brings me to the plot. This plot was insanely creative, and just insane! I can imagine my face as I read this: my eyeballs bugging out of my head, a face filled with horror and disbelief. Rex's actions were appalling and truly twisted. This book really is not for the feint of heart. You'll be disgusted early on when you learn of the lengths to which Rex will go to to ensure the survival of his family. You'll be even more disgusted when you find out his secrets. I don't want to give away specifics, but let's just say cannibalism is not out of the question for him. 
 The idea of the compound itself is impressive. Bodeen was very generous with the details of how this compound was even possible. The different scenarios that could potentially cause a problem for people in such a situation. Oxygen, food, water, waste, etc. It's all explained to an extent and it even made such a thing seem possible. Creepy, no? 
 The characters. I have to say that the author gave them each a super distinct personality. Each one of them was changed by being in the compound for so long. Changed by having to endure some of the things they have. Rex is just a sick, sick man. The mother is weak in some ways, but strong in others. She herself agreed to do some very horrible things, but her morals won out in the end. She learned to be strong and to question. Eli learned not to be so self-serving and single minded. Terese was like some sort of oblivious weirdo. Lexie was a ruthless bitch. Each one went into the compound as one person, and came out as an entirely different one (except for Rex, maybe). 
 Overall, this book is totally freaky. That's really the best way to describe it. It's an edge-of-your-seat page turner and it's also completely disturbing. It'll have you disgusted one minute and impressed the next. The Compound totally goes where other books dare not go. It begs the question: When does humanity take a back seat to survival? - and gives you the perfect situation in which to answer it. This book is morbid and it's creepy. It's also a book that teaches life lessons and the importance of having hope and staying true to yourself and your beliefs. If you want something totally out there, this is your book. I definitely recommend it, but as I said: totally not for the feint of heart! 
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 Book source: Library ^-^ 
 Publisher: Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan