The Collective
Fiction
William Morrow
November 2, 2021
Advance reader copy
352
Free from publisher
Camille Gardner is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.
When her rash actions attract the attention of a secret group of women—the collective—Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability and perpetrators emerge unscathed. Fueled by mutual rage, these women orchestrate their own brand of justice through precise, anonymous, complexly plotted and perfectly executed revenge killings, with individual members completing a specific and integral task in each plan.
As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collective—and about herself—that she may not be able to survive.
My review:
Holy moly, was this one a wild and crazy ride! A well crafted, fast paced thriller that asks the question, how far would you go to seek revenge and justice for a crime against a loved one? I loved how this one unfolded in such a stealthy way. As a reader you are completely sucked into "the collective" just as the main character is. It is a thriller, so I can't reveal too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that I was mesmerized at all the moving parts that meshed together for each assignment. The author was stellar in putting these pieces all together to create such a believable narrative. The testimonies from the women that are interspersed really touched on the grief that occurs when you lose a loved one, especially when the perpetrator never has to pay their dues. It was very easy to see how the characters got sucked into the group, and interesting to see how things played out once they were there. The writing was succinct and I didn't feel that there was any point where the book dragged. It's possible that the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, but I'm not sure that it was necessary, and that might have caused the story to slow down.
Pick this one up if you want a book that you can (and likely will) consume in a couple sittings. It's a great concept, and very well constructed and executed.
