Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2024 *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 neurodivergent readers. The ending, which hinges on the local community coming together to take care of their own and finally ending their silence about injustice, feels well earned. The result is a thrilling tale of what happens when people trapped in cycles of trauma and poverty decide to bite back—and about the strength that can come from healing, empathy, and creating community. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.