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My obsession with Love Island came on suddenly. I had never cared about reality dating shows, but as cultural conversations around the contestants’ style and mental health reached a fever pitch this season, I decided to tune in for an episode. Next thing I knew, I was a nightly viewer (and voting on my favorite couples).
Then, when season seven came to a close a few weeks ago, I’m embarrassed to admit that my nights felt incomplete. My previously active “I got a text!” group chat went quiet, and I had an extra hour on my hands before bed.
I turned to my local bookstore for a solution. There, I found author Aisling Rawle’s debut novel, The Compound.
The Compound is the story of a reality television show in a somewhat recognizable, near-dystopian future. A war may be raging just beyond the fence of the desert oasis where the entire story takes place, but within it, nine women—including our protagonist, Lily—and eight men compete for brand partnerships, to make it through to the next round, and maybe even to find love.
“I had watched a lot of Love Island before writing The Compound,” Rawle confirms. “One of the things that interested me about the show was the gender politics and how the contestants performed within their gender roles. I wanted to take some of the concepts of Love Island and tweak them so that it felt more sinister than sexy. As well as that, I was interested in bringing elements of influencer culture into the show. It was fun to have contestants second-guess what was genuine, and what was in pursuit of a brand deal.”
The oft repeated Bachelor prompt of “Are you here for the right reasons?” is just one of the many themes in The Compound that will feel familiar to any reality-television viewer. (That, along with the coupling up, prizes, dates, and breakfasts.) “With the main character, Lily, I wanted to challenge the idea of the ‘dumb blonde’ who often draws judgment on these shows,” Rawle says. “I wanted the reader to live in her head and prize her for what she was worth, and sit with their own assumptions.” Also in the mix are a classic bombshell, a few different villains, and plenty of frenemies.
Apparently, season seven wasn’t as tempting to Rawle as it was to me. “I don’t find myself watching reality television much these days, as it can be a bit stressful,” she admits. “If I’m watching reality television, it’s more likely something cozier, like The Great British Bake Off.” Here’s hoping that her next book is titled The Tent.
