Annika Norlin is a Swedish pop song writer, artist, journalist, as well as a novelist.
“The Colony”, (Europa Editions), is her debut novel….
….which won the Vi Literature award and Swedish Radio’s Novel Prize — two of Sweden biggest literary awards.
A TV adaptation is underway.
“The Colony” is mega best selling hit in Sweden; I was very excited to begin reading it.

The summary:
“We meet Emilie, a city-dweller who is burnt out from her job. She goes to the woods to get away from the noise and demands of the city. There she encounters a group of seven people, each with their own story of pain, alienation, and a desire to live differently. The group is led by the charismatic Sara, and the members have a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and personalities. Emelie begins to try and understand the diverse group while to reevaluating her own life”.

So… as I said … I was happily excited… anticipating “The Colony” to be a fantastic novel. I usually love Swedish and Scandinavian literature.
I enjoy books that explore communes, retreats, and a variety of different characters
living in a community setting.
However …
I found the writing disjointed and irritating. I could have read a couple of good novels in the time it took me to wade through it.

For starters, it’s way too long.
Also, it didn’t give us any profound insights about humans being social creatures within a community.

I hate leaving a low review….especially with a debut. It’s especially i
disconcerting when reading an early novel.
But I couldn’t stay sincerely interested. At times I felt as though the author was still learning how to construct sentences — or maybe it was a translation problem, but my enthusiasm for the story and characters took a nose dive.

I do love the book cover - and I did appreciate the symbolism of the ‘ant’.

Here’s a couple of excerpts that I liked….
“Sagne crossed her eyes to catch the mosquito with her gaze. She empathized with it, relating its yearning for blood to her own morning hunger. Her body was probably covered in bites but they no longer itched; the Colony had been immune to mosquitoes—everyone except Zakaria for some reason; it was as if his body had never fully adapted; he crumbled and scratched in the night”.

“Ants were running every which way as I set my feet down, and I wondered who they were. I pictured my maths teacher. He had died of prostate cancer. He used to look just like a confused ant, when he walked around the school canteen to get more coffee—I think because he got up and forgot what he was doing. We made fun of him, but after my burnout, I understood him better—I never know what I’ve got up to do”.

2 stars.

"The Colony" by Annika Norlin is set in a remote location and follows a group of individuals as they navigate their pasts and relationships with one another.

The story centers on Lina, who moves to a secluded island in Sweden in search of escape and a fresh start after experiencing a personal crisis. As the narrative unfolds, she grapples with feelings of isolation and connection while exploring themes of identity, nostalgia, and regret.

The writing is characterized by detailed observations and a focus on character development. However, some readers may find the pacing challenging, which could affect their engagement with the story and its characters as it did for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Europa Editions.