Compound Fracture

In the gripping and intense novel Compound Fracture, Andrew Joseph White weaves a tale of courage, identity, and resistance set against the backdrop of a small West Virginian community caught in a generations-old conflict. Sixteen-year-old Miles Abernathy, a proud socialist and resident of Twist Creek, is fiercely determined to fight for justice and truth. On the very night he comes out as transgender to his parents, Miles stumbles upon proof that could expose the county's corrupt Sheriff Davies—evidence that could potentially turn the tide of a long-standing blood feud that has divided the community.

Years of deceit and brutality have plagued Twist Creek since Miles's great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, led a miners' rebellion that culminated in a harrowing public execution at the hands of law enforcement. This deep-seated animosity now brings newfound peril as the sheriff's son and his cronies discover Miles's evidence. They ruthlessly pursue him through the woods, ultimately leaving him on the brink of death.

As Miles lies in the hospital, a ghostly figure of a soot-covered man hovers by his bedside, a haunting reminder of his family's traumatic past. Meanwhile, Sheriff Davies continues to exert his grip on the community, threatening Miles into silence. Yet, Miles's defiance is far from crushed. When he unintentionally kills one of his assailants, he unearths allies among other oppressed residents of Twist Creek who are equally desperate to break free from the sheriff's tyrannical rule.

In a town shackled by cruelty and corruption, Miles must decide if he has the strength to rally his community and confront the cycle of violence head-on. With life and death stakes, Compound Fracture explores themes of identity, familial legacy, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Andrew Joseph White crafts a powerful narrative that is as heart-wrenching as it is inspiring, capturing the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming adversity.