Book Review: The Collective | Alison Gaylin

Grief and revenge collide in this absolutely wild, twisted thriller by Alison Gaylin. The second half moves at breaking speed as you learn what is really going on with The Collective.

About the Book

Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?

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.

Reflection

I’m honestly not sure I’ve ever read a book quite like this before! Camille lost her daughter five years before and her grief is so overwhelming I struggled through about the first third of the book. At the same time, I recognize this as the reality for so many who go through the unimaginable pain of losing a child. The way Gaylin writes Camille’s story, I can see why her grief became so all consuming that her marriage fell apart. It was almost impossible to not get dragged down with her.

But this is not simply a book about sadness, grief, and loss. This is a book about anger and revenge. As Camille spirals, lashing out at the privileged male she blames for her daughter’s death, she gets recruited to join an anonymous group of mothers going through the same thing who are simultaneously a support group (if you can call it that) and a match lighting the flame of revenge that will drive these women to seek their own form of justice.

The planning and precision of the tasks intellectually fascinated me. Each woman is assigned a job that is only a small piece of a larger plan. But the trick is, they don’t know what the plan is. I could see why Camille found the tasks soothing and cathartic in their own way. She sees this as a sort of role playing exercise where she can work through what it would feel like to seek justice in a very safe way.

I don’t want to say much more about the plot but let’s just say that things get very strange as the book goes on. These women are flawed but relatable. This is the sort of book that makes you question morality, justice, and right versus wrong.

There are tons of twists and turns and I felt surprised and shocked at every one—I was just enjoying the ride! I felt so intrigued by the anonymous group of women and how it all worked. The second half I truly couldn’t put down. The ending is unforgettable!