Review by Booklist Review
This award-winning novel from Sweden intertwines the story of Emelie, a journalist suffering from burnout, and the misfits she discovers in rural Sweden. To combat job fatigue, Emelie goes to her grandmother's house in the forest, which she loved visiting as a child. As she adjusts to the silence, mosquitoes, and solitude, she notices a strange group of people bathing in the lake and wandering through the forest. Emelie finally meets Lake, the youngest member of the Ant Colony, as they call themselves, although Emelie calls them hippies. The narrative then shifts to the members of the colony with their personal stories, including Ersmo, who owns the land they live on; Sara, the enigmatic leader of the group; Sagne, the entomologist who keeps to herself; and Zakaria, the beautiful, young man on the run. Their stories reveal backgrounds of pain and alienation. Their fateful meeting with Emelie leads to both tragedy and hope. Norlin, in her debut, comments on contemporary society, the environment, and the fragile nature of belonging through her characters and their interactions. For readers of literary fiction who love nuanced characters and stylistically complex novels with a sense of humor and sharp insight into the problems of modern society.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Swedish writer Norlin's remarkable debut revolves around a commune in the Swedish countryside. Members of "the Colony" include Aagny, previously imprisoned for manslaughter, and a young boy named Ersmo whom Aagny takes care of after his mother's mysterious disappearance. Sara, an animal liberation activist and ex-convict who served time for freeing chickens from a factory, joins the Colony with her partner after getting reacquainted with Aagny, whom she met in prison. They're joined by Sagne, an entomologist and distant cousin of Sara's sister-in-law, who was impregnated by her rapist and gives birth to her son, Låke, with Aagny's help. Sagne neglects Låke as an infant because he reminds her of her rapist, leaving Aagny to raise him as if he were her own. Each member finds their niche in taking care of the farm and one another until the arrival of journalist Emelie, who meets Låke when he's 14 and is surprised to learn he's never gone to school. Her presence at the commune disrupts the balance of their lives. Norlin's character work is superior, bringing each Colony member to vivid life and examining in nuanced detail how they interact. It's an impressive tale of a found family. (Mar.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An outsider's view of a remote forest colony changes everyone's lives in this debut novel from Swedish author Norlin. Emelie is burned out from her life as a journalist in the city. Unable to leave the house for a time, she eventually drives to the country and begins camping, nature soothing her fractured state. Out in the woods, she notices an odd group of people who seem to live there. After she has a run-in with Låke, a teenager who's the youngest in the group, they begin an odd sort of friendship, and she finds herself being drawn into the fold. Each of the seven colony members is escaping from something in the outside world and each has a story that drives them, from Sara, the queen bee, to Aagny, who has trouble rejoining society after a stint in prison, and Sagne, Låke's mother, whose lack of interest in humanity only increases after she's assaulted. But with a new person joining them for the first time in years, the cracks begin to show; Emelie's questions and observations poke at insecurities that have been slowly forming in the fabric of their society since it was created. Norlin has a real sense for both character and worldbuilding, each member of the colony incredibly distinct and fleshed out, their reasons for escaping from the world intriguing and clear. The novel jumps among time periods and points of view, with each member's voice becoming familiar, their personality more developed. The parts told from the perspective of Låke, who's been raised in the colony without ever going to school, are especially evocative. Norlin's writing (as translated by Olsson) is clever and incisive, poking fun at modern society and the woodland community in equal measure. The colony's strengths are great but so are its weaknesses. Ultimately, this is a treatise on humanity, on the things people need and the power and frailty of human connection. This is a novel that will stick with you. A smart and moving look at society, nature, and community. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
