The Colony
Ratings6
Average rating3.7
A mega best-seller in Sweden, with rights sold to over a dozen countries and a TV adaptation underway, Annika Norlin's debut novel The Colony is the biggest Swedish literary phenomenon since Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove. Winner of the Vi Literature Award and Swedish Radio's Novel Prize, two of Sweden's biggest literary awards, The Colony is a gripping portrayal of contemporary society and its alternatives. Burnt-out from a demanding job and a bustling life in the city, Emelie has left town to spend a few days in the country. Once there, in the peaceful, verdant hills, down by the river she encounters a mysterious group of seven people, each with personal stories full of pain, alienation, and the longing to live differently. They are misfits, each in their own way, and all led by the enigmatic and charismatic Sara. How did they end up there? Are they content with the rigid roles they've been assigned? And what happens when an outsider appears and is initially drawn to their alternative lifestyle but cannot help but stir things up? A masterful blend of humor, emotion, unforgettable characters, and sharp social commentary, The Colony is a magnetic and deeply touching story about love, community, and the unfathomable power we other others and that others have over us.
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Norlin efficiently develops characters that, love or hate, the reader can understand. Reading this book also helped me explain and understand some feelings and observations in my life. The book was an extremely breezy read, despite dealing with some heavy topics. The missing half star comes from an ending that left something to be desired.
slight spoilers
Literary fiction, translated from Swedish, it follows a young journalist Emelie, who decides to go camping in the countryside after suffering a burnout; she stumbles across a community, the Colony, of seven people living off the grid.
This was overall a very interesting read.
The narrative style was quite original, with a whimsical tone, surrealistic atmosphere, a chaotic pacing. The writing was quite good, the author’s rendering each character clearly, sometimes through diary entries. There was some beautiful turns of phrases throughout the story, punctuating some humorous, awkward and light hearted moments but also emotional and very hard ones to read (check the trigger warnings).
The book explored quite successfully various thematics on power, manipulation, social conformity, isolation, community, misogyny, patriarchy, capitalism, agency.
So pacing wise, as I said this was chaotic. It was more character driven than I first expected. Each member of the Colony had multiple flashbacks. There were interesting, in that they humanised the colony by fleshing them out as complete and complex human beings, with negative and positive traits, the horrible and joyful events they experienced .
However it felt a bit too long at times and the plot in the present moved a bit too quickly especially regarding how each member of the colony ended up. Some conflicts were resolved too quickly and some of the character’s problems brushed off too quickly.
I was surprised that Emelie never feel like the main character, more like the catalyst to frame the story and make the plot evolve. I wanted to see more of her story especially how she ended up.
Overall an engaging first novel by this author and I’ll be on the look out for the for her next books.
