The compound of judgement and compassion

Probably for the past 25 years, for better or worse, reality TV shows have been part of our lives. Whether it’s a dating show, a social experiment, or a bizarre competition with a strange premise, we’ve all encountered them — and, inevitably, formed strong opinions. But the debut novel from a young teacher from Carrigallen asks us to reconsider those conceptions. Is it really the participants we should be critiquing? Or something far bigger?

‘The Compound’ by Aisling Rawle has been labelled “Love Island meets Lord of the Flies”. A sharp caricature of reality television, casts a critical yet compassionate eye on the genre.

“It’s definitely a satire,” Aisling explains, “but also a bit of a critique of the situations people are put into for entertainment. In our current age, the line between entertainment and exploitation feels really tenuous.”

That blurred line, she notes, isn’t unique to reality TV. It's part of a much larger cultural moment - one that merges influencer culture, consumerism, and a general hunger for spectacle.

In ‘The Compound’, 19 contestants compete in a house in the desert while being monitored for the outside world to see.

Ten women are met by nine men, who had to make the journey through the desert to the house. Withholding the fate of the tenth male contestant thus creating the first rift in the group. Their interactions are closely monitored, but there's a twist: no one can disclose personal information, and it’s never clear if people are acting with sincerity or in hopes of landing a sponsorship.

“That kind of ambiguity,” she says, “feels like being online these days — you never know if someone is sharing a real opinion or angling for a brand deal.”

Still, the book doesn’t take aim at the contestants themselves.

“Everyone has their reasons,” Aisling adds. “It’s not about judging the people on the show. If anything, I hope there’s empathy for them - and a bit more skepticism toward the industry that builds these platforms.”

Personalities form

The author’s insight into human behavior isn’t only born from media observation — it’s rooted in her years as a secondary school teacher in Dublin, where she began working in 2020.

“Teaching gave me such an insight into human nature,” she reflects. “You see how people respond to praise and criticism. You watch personalities form in real time. You see people become kinder, or not.”

That perspective helped shape the emotional realism of her characters - even within the absurd constraints of a fictional TV competition.

While the setting of the book is deliberately place-neutral - the author scrubbed out any dialect or local references - her upbringing in Carrigallen, still played a vital role in her creative formation. She speaks warmly of playwright and actor Seamus O’Rourke, a legend whose work resonates both locally and nationally.

“He was just such a presence growing up. His plays, his videos — my family quoted him all the time. It was a huge influence,” she lauds.

Carrigallen’s Corn Mill Theatre and a childhood steeped in storytelling helped foster a deep appreciation for narrative in all its forms.

When asked whether her students inspired any of the dialogue or characters, she says not directly.

“But I did notice that when I asked them about their dream lives, not one of them included a job. They all imagined beautiful houses, nice things. It was very telling — and very similar to the main character in my book.”

She sees the novel as, in part, a quiet warning: against unchecked consumerism, materialism, and the idea that happiness can be bought.

The book itself came out of nowhere - at least from the outside. Written in a rapid, six-week frenzy, the story consumed her.

“I thought about it constantly. Even in conversations, my mind would be somewhere else, wondering what Lily (the protagonist) would do next.”

She didn’t plan everything from the start. In fact, she didn’t always know which character would stay or go.

“It was like watching a reality TV show myself - the contestants surprised me,” she recalls.

Manipulated

And just like in real reality TV, audiences are often quick to judge. Aisling encourages readers to reconsider that impulse.

“It’s easy to watch and say, ‘Oh, she’s so pretty but so stupid,’ or whatever. But we forget how edited and manipulated those shows are — and how human those people are.”

For her, storytelling - whether in books or on screen - should always come from a place of empathy.

“Even if I’m writing satire, the characters still deserve compassion. You can’t tell a real story without it.”