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The Collective
Stuck in the traditional community of Badfish Creek, Elwyn longs for change. When his uncle offers him the chance to leave his rural roots behind, he jumps at the opportunity, eager to move to Liberty to gain an education and become part of a flourishing world. Finally, life seems to be opening up to him.
But it is not long before he understands that all that glitters is not gold: there are things going on in Liberty that Elwyn cannot ignore. Things that profoundly threaten the world he has rejected and things that he has to fight against.
But it is not long before he understands that all that glitters is not gold: there are things going on in Liberty that Elwyn cannot ignore. Things that profoundly threaten the world he has rejected and things that he has to fight against.
- GenresFiction
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 5, 2021
The Collective is a is a richly realised, coming-of-age debut novel about tradition, change, divided loyalties, the meaning of home and the struggle to be true to yourself. It's 180 years after the Second American War which saw the oppressed rise up and reclaim land that was rightly theirs, and we are introduced to Elwyn, who feels like he's wasting his life in the rural idylls of Badfish Creek, a traditional small-town community deep in the Illinois Territory, Collective Homesteads of America where prospects are slim, and longs for this to change. He is part of the Foresters, a people who have built their homes and community around trees and live by their own communal laws. He is inseparable from his best friend Whim who is at the moral heart of the community, which is one of mutual support between family and friends. So when Elwyn’s uncle, who lives in Liberty city, offers him the chance to leave his rural roots behind, he jumps at the opportunity and grabs it with both hands. He is eager to gain a formal education and in Liberty city the education he craves will be available to him; he also wants to become part of a flourishing urban world embracing a new industrial age. Finally, life seems to be opening up for him. Entranced by city life, Elwyn becomes fascinated by local entrepreneur, Cronus Rhoad. Working on Rhoad’s political campaign, Elwyn learns more of Rhoad’s political and business expansion ambitions.
Moreover, he is horrified to discover that these represent an existential threat to Badfish Creek and its inhabitants. What can he do? Might it be that his discovery could compromise everything he loves, or everything about which he has ever dreamed? Elwyn’s moral dilemma is very much at the heart of The Collective and his lingering affection for Whim, who finds herself at the centre of a maelstrom as Badfish Creek struggles for its very survival; the community he left behind force him to choose his future path. Set in the not so distant future, this is a beautiful, profound and lyrical novel about an imagined America after a brutal civil war in which the country is divided along urban and rural boundaries. It deals with important themes of responsibility, belonging and becoming an adult and is an intense, dramatic and compelling young adult read. It's a powerful tale with a distinctive sense of place and time and the values that underlie them and follows protagonist Elwyn’s efforts to reconcile social pressure with personal ambition and understand the warring factions he must choose between. Emotionally resonant and richly described, this was a much more thought-provoking, intelligent and beguiling story than I initially imagined and touches on some weighty topics including colonialism, slavery, capitalism, land grabs, displacement, racism, greed, loyalty and family and imparts the message that there really is no place like home. Highly recommended.
Moreover, he is horrified to discover that these represent an existential threat to Badfish Creek and its inhabitants. What can he do? Might it be that his discovery could compromise everything he loves, or everything about which he has ever dreamed? Elwyn’s moral dilemma is very much at the heart of The Collective and his lingering affection for Whim, who finds herself at the centre of a maelstrom as Badfish Creek struggles for its very survival; the community he left behind force him to choose his future path. Set in the not so distant future, this is a beautiful, profound and lyrical novel about an imagined America after a brutal civil war in which the country is divided along urban and rural boundaries. It deals with important themes of responsibility, belonging and becoming an adult and is an intense, dramatic and compelling young adult read. It's a powerful tale with a distinctive sense of place and time and the values that underlie them and follows protagonist Elwyn’s efforts to reconcile social pressure with personal ambition and understand the warring factions he must choose between. Emotionally resonant and richly described, this was a much more thought-provoking, intelligent and beguiling story than I initially imagined and touches on some weighty topics including colonialism, slavery, capitalism, land grabs, displacement, racism, greed, loyalty and family and imparts the message that there really is no place like home. Highly recommended.
June 18, 2019
A distinctive book I certainly wish well, but I would have hoped for more clarity as to the setting and the author's ultimate intent. It boils down to young people seeking the intangible - namely the self-respect that comes from a status denied them by birth or a home uncorrupted by modern society. But in getting its particular strong flavour, and cogent plot, on to the page, it still failed to let me know exactly where and when we were - whether we were in an alternative history novel, or a particular allegory, or whatnot. Yes, books can leave much unspoken, but I felt this left too much ill-defined.
Please see my full review, only at:-
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...
Please see my full review, only at:-
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...
February 21, 2020
Elwyn and Whim are two teenagers from a small place: Badfish Creek. After the Second American War their ancestors decided to live in the forest, while others decided to go back to the cities and make a living there.
"Badfish Creek wasn’t a place used to change. Deep in the Illinois Territory, it had been settled shortly after the Second War by a group of what came to be called Foresters: a mix of fur-hunters, anarchists and a handful of rebel slaves that had abandoned the land they had been bound to. That was 1820 , when the Foresters committed to building their houses around trunks of trees, never borrowing money, and never tilling the earth."
Lindsey Whitlock has written a compelling story by using two narratives: Elwyn - who left Badfish Creek for a chance of a better life in Liberty - and Whim - who stay in Badfish Creek for her father and the people who live there.
The history behind the Collective Homesteads of America could be more detailed. Sometimes it lacked a connection with what the Badfishians (and other Forester towns) were going through because of the missing information.
Whitlock has written a subtle book against slavery, exploitation and racism. Every step of the way, whether it is Elwyn's story of wanting something more or Whim story of keeping what is their own, makes you want to keep on reading and finding out what the future has in store for them. Whitlock makes you think, because the issues addressed in the book are also still a big part of issues that we encounter today.
"Badfish Creek wasn’t a place used to change. Deep in the Illinois Territory, it had been settled shortly after the Second War by a group of what came to be called Foresters: a mix of fur-hunters, anarchists and a handful of rebel slaves that had abandoned the land they had been bound to. That was 1820 , when the Foresters committed to building their houses around trunks of trees, never borrowing money, and never tilling the earth."
Lindsey Whitlock has written a compelling story by using two narratives: Elwyn - who left Badfish Creek for a chance of a better life in Liberty - and Whim - who stay in Badfish Creek for her father and the people who live there.
The history behind the Collective Homesteads of America could be more detailed. Sometimes it lacked a connection with what the Badfishians (and other Forester towns) were going through because of the missing information.
Whitlock has written a subtle book against slavery, exploitation and racism. Every step of the way, whether it is Elwyn's story of wanting something more or Whim story of keeping what is their own, makes you want to keep on reading and finding out what the future has in store for them. Whitlock makes you think, because the issues addressed in the book are also still a big part of issues that we encounter today.
March 15, 2020
This book is a mix between "I live vaguely in the Midwest and contemplate deep things while going down to the lake and into the woods regularly" genre and "the United States has collapsed, welcome to the future dystopia" genre.
It's set up as a contrast between Elwyn, who leaves his small rural town to make his fortune in the city, and Whim, his childhood best friend who stays home. Myself, reading that, I expected a certain something. I don't exactly know what. But whatever it was, I did not get it.
This could be some kind of coming-of-age meditation. It could be a straightforward "fight the power" adventure. It could be an ecological and economic thesis, with points to make about our modern society. Really, it's not any of those things. It left me confused. A protest storms through town and overruns a prison, freeing a man, with hardly any violence. The big bad industrialist drives out to see his new mine with at least two trucks, but some teenagers and a middle-aged woman are able to beat him up with nothing but a pointy rock and a sling. Who was driving the other truck? Did the other men with him just stand around and watch?
Everything just felt somehow false. The atmosphere was the best part of the book, but it didn't deliver any of the deep thoughts or poignant moments that it should have. The actual events seemed strangely unrealistic, and without meaning. I puzzled by the end of it, searching for some point that I was sure had to be there, but that I couldn't manage to find.
It's set up as a contrast between Elwyn, who leaves his small rural town to make his fortune in the city, and Whim, his childhood best friend who stays home. Myself, reading that, I expected a certain something. I don't exactly know what. But whatever it was, I did not get it.
This could be some kind of coming-of-age meditation. It could be a straightforward "fight the power" adventure. It could be an ecological and economic thesis, with points to make about our modern society. Really, it's not any of those things. It left me confused. A protest storms through town and overruns a prison, freeing a man, with hardly any violence. The big bad industrialist drives out to see his new mine with at least two trucks, but some teenagers and a middle-aged woman are able to beat him up with nothing but a pointy rock and a sling. Who was driving the other truck? Did the other men with him just stand around and watch?
Everything just felt somehow false. The atmosphere was the best part of the book, but it didn't deliver any of the deep thoughts or poignant moments that it should have. The actual events seemed strangely unrealistic, and without meaning. I puzzled by the end of it, searching for some point that I was sure had to be there, but that I couldn't manage to find.
March 31, 2020
Moving away from everything you've ever known is something most of us experience once or more in our lifetime and it's something that evokes so many emotions. This story explores that brilliantly through the eyes of the two main protagonists, who are very well written and extremely likeable. As an author Lindsey has as talent for making you believe and feel every emotion her characters are.
This is a really great read and one that brings home the key message, it's all always important to stay true to yourself.
This is a really great read and one that brings home the key message, it's all always important to stay true to yourself.
April 5, 2020
A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
May 31, 2021
I'm really impressed with this novel however it seems to lack in few areas, like better world building, closure or the message it was trying to impart.
• This novel reminds me of all the postcolonial literature I've read during Graduation n PG.
• Various themes of rich vs poor, oppression, greed, identity crisis kept me engaged and eager to read it in one sitting.
• Elwyn, a forester dreaming of respectful life in rich town Collective goes through identity crisis when he wasn't able to embrace the new life he fought for in return for his betrayal to his homeland.
• Blackwell family played a important role in showing how hollow our lives will be if keep on running after materialistic goods. Blackwell's every action was governed by his hunger for fame and his strict rules that were the cause of his unhappy marriage.
• Rohad was a typical greedy villain.
• Whim and Hestia were really strong, determined and bold characters.
• I loved how Mirth and Peity reconciled.
• Elwyn n Whim's bond became really vague & was never straightened out, which troubles me.
• Surface of the story was really good but it lacked depth.
• This novel reminds me of all the postcolonial literature I've read during Graduation n PG.
• Various themes of rich vs poor, oppression, greed, identity crisis kept me engaged and eager to read it in one sitting.
• Elwyn, a forester dreaming of respectful life in rich town Collective goes through identity crisis when he wasn't able to embrace the new life he fought for in return for his betrayal to his homeland.
• Blackwell family played a important role in showing how hollow our lives will be if keep on running after materialistic goods. Blackwell's every action was governed by his hunger for fame and his strict rules that were the cause of his unhappy marriage.
• Rohad was a typical greedy villain.
• Whim and Hestia were really strong, determined and bold characters.
• I loved how Mirth and Peity reconciled.
• Elwyn n Whim's bond became really vague & was never straightened out, which troubles me.
• Surface of the story was really good but it lacked depth.
April 2, 2024
DNF at 130 pages. The writing itself is solid but I think this book needed to dig more deeply into its subject matter than it did. It felt too shallow and I found myself bored retreading familiar ground with nothing really new to see. Dystopian coming of age and philosophical speculative fiction were not a comfortable match here and needed more of one or the other to strengthen the foundations.
January 20, 2021
Collective is a children's book that is centered around an issue very relatable to societies around the world. Though it is a short book written in a crisp manner, it is not one of the easy reads. It provokes thinking and one can find values of a collective life embossed neatly in the story lines.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews