The Collective

Elwyn and Whim are two teenagers from a small place called: 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.

Lindsey Whitlock has written a compelling story by using two narratives: Elwyn - who leaves 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 sometimes 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.

This was a really great read! I really enjoyed reading this book, would definitely recommend. This is a good book for all ages.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Elwyin lives in the community of Badfish Creek, but wants to change his life, seeing new things and places. When he's offered the opportunity of leaving his home behind he jumps at the occasion, eager for a change. But living in Liberty isn't exactly as he has imagined.

I really liked reading The collective. The main characters, Elwyn and Whim are well rounded and well written and it's easy feeling connected to them, following their feelings, beliefs and thoughts, the contrasts.. It's a book with a very interesting plot, that deals with tradition, changing, finding your home and the difficulty and the importance of being yourself.

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.

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.