With wit, tenacity, and compassion, "The Collective" explores the dream of becoming an artist and questions whether the reality is worth the sacrifice. Eric Cho, Jessica Tsai, and Joshua Yoon鈥攖wo aspiring writers and a painter鈥攎eet in college in the late 鈥�80s. It is Joshua鈥檚 presence in their lives鈥攅normous, brilliant, manipulative, and dangerous鈥攖hat rallies them together. The novel鈥檚 present-day is years after the three have left college and recently after Joshua has committed suicide. "The Collective" brilliantly sorts through issues of friendship, intimacy, idealism, art, sacrifice, racism, and publicity. Don Lee is a phenomenal writer that you absolutely should know, and "The Collective" is a book you absolutely should read. Get two pages in and you鈥檒l know I鈥檓 right.
