The Colony is a novel about a motley group of seven people who live together in a remote house in the Swedish countryside. A burnt-out journalist spies their odd behavior from her campsite and befriends the teenager who seems cut off from the rest of the group.
In the early chapters, I found the characters' motivations intriguing. In various ways they feel oppressed by the demands of social interaction. Emelie is tired of justifying her burn-out to people; Jozsef feels compelled to comfort people and broker peace when there are conflicts; Sara has the magnetism of a natural leader and hates the feeling of responsibility it gives her. These characters have interpersonal skills that make them successful sought-after companions, but they find those skills burdensome. They seek to create a community in which no one imposes expectations on the others.
This theme comes in and out of focus as the story progresses. The other Colony members have more clichéd trauma. The group's vision shifts from self-sufficiency to environmentalism. The members do have expectations of each other. Sara emerges as something of a cult leader. Arguments for the superiority of their lifestyle are unconvincing (to the reader). It becomes hard to believe that the Colony would stay intact for as long as it does.
The final unraveling of the Colony is fast and rather too convenient from a plot perspective.