Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Publication date: September 2024
LGBTQ+ author? Trans (and autistic)
Setting: Modern day West Virginia
Content warnings: So much graphic violence among other very hard things to read.

I usually stay aware from violent, emotionally difficult books but Andrew Joseph White’s books have found a way into my heart.

Miles Abernathy is a sixteen-year-old trans and autistic kid living in West Virginia. He gets caught up in the generational violence inflicted on poor, rural families like his own by the sheriff and his cronies.

It all started when Miles’ great-great-grandfather Saint Abernathy incited a miner’s rebellion that ended with his public execution by law enforcement. The two sides have taken turns killing each other since then, which continues until it reaches a resolution of sorts in this book.

This book is very political, with Miles describing himself as a socialist. It is overtly anti-law enforcement for obvious reasons. It is also pro-union and and at times very anti-patriotic. Where I sit on the west coast of Canada, these ideas are not unusual. But where Miles is rural Appalachia is an entirely different story, as the violence he and his friends and family face shows.

This is the second Andrew Joseph White book I’ve read with trans masculine autistic main characters. I am not autistic, but I do find it fascinating to learn how the author portrays his autistic characters. It’s nothing like Sheldon Cooper stereotypes we often see.

Despite the gruesome political violence, I love how quickly Miles’ family comes around to him being trans. This is an oasis of love in an otherwise brutal story. The author hints in the acknowledgement that Miles’ family was based on his own. I also appreciate that Miles does not need to medically transition before people take his identity seriously. There is a T4T relationship in this book, which I also appreciate the representation of.

This is a young adult book I suppose because the main character is a teenager, not for the easy breezy subject matter. This book is certainly not for all young adults, and probably not for all adults either!

Compound Fracture was on my must-read queer fiction list for 2024 and it did not disappoint. I feel incredibly lucky I got a copy so far in advance of publication. Pre-order now!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy.