Thank you to NetGalley & Europa for the e-arc.

This wasn't quite as explosive as I was expecting but it was atmospheric and stunning. The characters were well written and the pacing was perfect.

Not the total blockbuster I was expecting, but an emotional and atmospheric novel about people's live unexpectedly coming together in the strangest ways. I thought the translation was perfect, and I got lost in the story.

Great read. Complex and emotional but not overwhelming or cloying. Interesting plot and strange characters. Frustrating at times but that did not detract from the story.

The Colony follows a group of troubled characters who have all, for various reasons, retreated from mainstream society, and led by the somewhat manipulative Sara, have built a new life for themselves with virtually no contact with the outside world. The arrival of Emelie, a journalist suffering from burnout in the city, disrupts the balance in the community and the Colony’s isolated existence is put to the test. Switching between past and present, the narrative explores the characters’ back stories and describes the reasons they have come together in this unconventional “family” and the effect Emelie’s arrival and her “outside” perspective has on each of them. I found the book an immersive experience, and its examination of community, belonging and connection insightful and empathetic. I particularly appreciated that the book eschews many of the tropes of communal living stories and avoids melodrama, which all too often seems to be the fall-back when talking about “cults”. This novel is far more nuanced and thought-provoking and I very much enjoyed it.

Long live Queen Aagny.

The Colony is, on paper, a book about a small commune made up of characters with colorful histories and how one outsider experiencing burnout from her journalist job finds herself living in the woods and studying this group.

But these CHARACTERS! Most of the book is dedicated not to Emelie's encounters with the group, but to explaining each of the members' histories and how they came to live this alternative lifestyle. Much like the ant colony they resemble, each member brings to the group their own unique skills and traits which help contribute to the greater whole. While much of the book is charming, the reader is constantly questioning the moral foundation of the group and its choices.

Thank you to NetGalley & Europa for the e-arc.

I can already say that The Colony by Annika Norlin will be one of my favorite books of 2025.
Absolutely incredible: the plot is unique and interesting, the prose clean and charming, plus there's a very delicate humor that I enjoyed a lot. The translation by Alice E. Olsson is also excellent.
I would recommend going in blind and just go with the flow - don't get discouraged by the slow pace of the book or its length, I think it fits perfectly the story!
I loved everything about it, literally. 5 stars.

* I'd like to thank Annika Norlin, Europa Editions and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#TheColony #NetGalley

The writing in THE COLONY was quite lovely, but I didn't finish reading, partly because of its slow pace and partly because I wasn't finding it funny like other reviewers have.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy.

There’s something quietly unsettling and thought-provoking about The Colony. A group of strangers, led by the enigmatic Sara, build a life hidden away in the countryside — free from the chaos of modern society. Or at least, that’s the hope. When Emelie, a burnt-out city-dweller, stumbles upon their isolated community, it seems like the dream: silence, nature, and a chance to hit pause on life. But as the days go on, and the layers start peeling back, it becomes less clear whether this is freedom… or just a smaller cage.

What really stood out to me is how the book makes you question the roles we accept — consciously or not — in our daily lives. Peer pressure, discomfort, even manipulation: Norlin shows how easy it is to accept things as normal when everyone else seems to. The themes of burnout, alienation, and the longing for an alternative life felt deeply relatable, and I found myself reflecting on how often we trade one set of expectations for another without even noticing.

That said, the pacing wasn't perfect for me. The early chapters dive into the characters’ pasts before we really get to know them in the present, which made the start feel a little slow and distant. But once the plot picks up and the focus shifts to the group dynamic, it becomes clear why this foundation was necessary — and by the end, I found myself invested, if slightly haunted.

Norlin’s writing is sharp in its quiet way. There are lines in here that made me stop, reread, and sit with for a while — some gently insightful, some cutting deep without making a fuss about it. The ending, too, avoids easy answers and leaves you thinking, which I always appreciate.

All in all, if you like slow-burn, character-driven novels with sharp social commentary and a touch of discomfort (the good, thought-provoking kind), The Colony is worth picking up.

Thank you to Europa Editions and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this! It raised interesting questions about human nature and what we need to be happy. As someone that fantasises about fleeing to rural Sweden at the first sign of stress, I found it very relatable.

I did find the book a little overly long, but ultimately an enjoyable read.

The Colony is a thought provoking, often uncomfortable and at times shocking story of an unconventional way of life. A group of 7 social misfits gradually form a “colony” that avoids society and lives almost exclusively off the land. “They were all strange. They were all l flawed. Together, they managed to survive. They each had something that benefitted the others.” When Emilie, a former journalist, encounters the group during her respite from a mental burnout, her questions cause the entire group to rethink their relationships and decisions.
There are several potentially triggering situations that I was not prepared for. I found myself wincing as the group made increasingly questionable choices for themselves and their child Lake in order to avoid the law. I also questioned myself why I was so judgmental about a different way of living. I would say I don’t think this book will be for everyone. It’s thought provoking and controversial, and I won’t soon forget it, but also slow at times, with a generous amount of time spent on character back stories. 3.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Europa Editions for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The style of The Colony is so unique. It tells the back stories of 8 characters who end up all living together as part of a community/cult/homestead called the colony. I loved learning about the individual paths that led each character to desire this kind of life and how they viewed their role in the group dynamic. In the end, I think it was lacking a bit of emotional depth for me, but I really enjoyed the reading experience.

Really interesting one. Difficult to rate. This is more literary fiction than anything else. There are some very dark scenes (check tw) but overall the book explores some very interesting themes about connection both to nature and with one another.

In The Colony we follow Emelie who is suffering from corporate burnout. She decides to spend some time in nature where she encounters a strange group of misfits who have disconnected from society. We’re also given the backstories of the group which show how they’ve all come together. There is a lot of peculiarity within how they live together, but they’ve also mostly perfected the art of a small, well functioning society. Obviously with introducing an outsider comes some strife which is where we find our characters.

Very little of the book is action. Many of the backstories of the characters show why they’ve chosen this path and how this life has affected them. The characters are flawed and relatable. They don’t always make the best decisions but when do we ever? This was a fascinating read but I would consider this a slow book. I couldn’t put it down but I do think some readers will struggle to connect with the story. I’ve always been a fan of Scandinavian literature and this is an excellent representation.

I expected a little more from this book. The last 50 pages were riveting and fascinating and I wish we got a bit more action, a bit of the journalistic tone of the main character throughout the book. I loved the premise and generally enjoy a Swedish translation and the language. It was an interesting premise but could've gone deeper.

The Colony was quite unexpected. As a nature nut (I practically live outdoors), the setting grabbed me. I am torn about the novel, though. The writing is simultaneously weird and beautiful. I loved it and hated it. The premise was much more intriguing to me than the execution. The story didn't click or resonate with me as I had hoped. Nonetheless, many literary fiction fans will be deeply drawn to it.

Emelie hated the outdoors as a kid but after a breakdown she began frequenting the place her grandmother found peace and solace...outdoors in a tent. The author writes about her struggles in her first days and her discovery of a strange group of people who lived together in quiet. Emelie longed for human interaction and observed the group from afar, how they communicated and treated each other. She eventually met them, one by one, and learns what makes them tick. The thought of an unusual community is fascinating. Observing the group dynamic would be revealing and disconcerting. But the story fell to pieces and the graphic descriptions didn't help. All in all, this wasn't for me and I did not care to finish it.

Fantastic! I loved everything about this story. I feel like fans of character driven literary fiction are going to eat this up like I did and I can see it being the next big, buzzy book.

This was quite disappointing for me. I was really looking forward to it because of the intriguing concept and the high praise. I’m also a sucker for Scandinavian translated fiction. But this one fell flat in many ways. I thought that at points the writing was beautiful and I managed to get invested in the lives of these characters, but otherwise felt disjointed enough that I put it down and struggled to get started again. I think I would come back to this one at some point, as it does feel like a book I would love in the right moment. But unfortunately it just wasn’t right for me in the now.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The length of this book really makes it so you can get lost in the vibes. Quiet character development and somehow has a strong plot, but doesn't feel plot-driven.

My rating for this book ranges from a 3.5 to a 4. The 4 is for the carefully-wrought characters and the depiction of social life within a colony. The 3.5 is for the amount of enjoyment I experienced reading this book. This is a peculiar book that has its appeals, though will not be for everyone. I opted to read this book when I learned it had been a best-seller in Sweden. The plot focuses on a series of characters who have become disenchanted or disenfranchised from mainstream urban life and ultimately form their own mostly off-the-grid colony that echoes the social organization of ants (one of the characters had been a ant scholar). Ultimately woven into the plot is the opening character who suffers from burnout and decides to retreat to the remote countryside to live in her tent. The plot shifts between characters and time periods and is not divided into standard chapters. Normally, this sort of plot structure appeals to me, but I found it hard to track the characters and time periods for the first long chunk of the book. While I persevered and the threads slowly started coming together, I am not sure I would have done so had I not agreed to read an advance copy for the publisher. The novel dragged in various spots and I did not find all the characters equally interesting. There are so many luminous books being published and by the end I was not entirely sure that this one was worth the time investment. I understand this is being made into a film, which I suspect may be a better vehicle. I probably should mention that the plot contains a rape which may be difficult for some to read.

I normally like a book with a lot of threads that seamlessly come together by the end to form a complete plot. However, I had a hard time with this book. I think the pacing, at least at the start, may be a little bit off as I struggled to keep each person straight and by the end I wondered if this book was the best use of my time. That doesn't mean it is a bad story at all, I have heard several other people that say they liked it - for me it may have just been the wrong book at the wrong time.

Norlin’s keen eye for detail and tender approach to character portrayal make The Colony a compelling read. The novel presents an intriguing and socially critical concept, an experiment that feels both utopian and thought-provoking.

The Colony explores a group of broken individuals who find belonging outside the confines of conventional society. The group dynamics within The Colony are particularly well-crafted.

The narrative has a distinct, almost conversational tone, at times making the reader feel as if they are eavesdropping on a break-room discussion. While this immersive style adds authenticity, it also creates moments of self-awareness in the reading experience.

The Colony is as much about living in the present as it is about the blind spots people develop when they become part of a collective. It’s a light yet meticulously written story, balancing its weighty themes with ease. While the shifts in perspective, especially when Emelie views The Colony from the outside, are compelling, some of the novel’s tonal nuances feel slightly lost when the narrative moves deeper into the community. Still, Norlin delivers a rich, multi-layered exploration of human connection in an isolating world.