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beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
Dorrit Weger has just turned fifty. A time when most people are thinking about what they are going to do when they retire. Well Dorrit doesn't have to worry about that. She has agreed to leave her home and move into an apartment at the Second Reserve Bank Unit. A place that houses women over fifty and men over sixty, who are childless. The Unit sets them up till their time is up. The catch is that the men and women agree to be test subjects as well as organ donors. The Unit will care and provide for Dorrit and the rest of the group till their last organ donation.
For Dorrit the agreement to live out her last years at the Unit would be just fine with her. That is till she met someone. His name is Johannes. He is a fellow writer like Dorrit and he has being living at the Unit for a while. Dorrit never expected to meet anyone, especially someone like Johannes. Dorrit learns that her sister, Siv used to life at the Unit as well. Siv like Dorrit fell in love with someone as well. Unfortunately there was no happy ending for Siv and her lover. After Dorrit hears about Siv, she starts to have second thoughts about living at the Unit and what her and Johannes future may hold for them.
Have you ever wondered where exactly are the lines being crossed when it concerns science and humanity? This question is brought into play in The Unit. Author Ninni Holmqvist brings a creative and refreshing outlook to what we as a society will do for science as well as love. I picked up this book and instantly became spellbound. I found I couldn't tear myself away from this book and finished it in one afternoon. The characters where real people that you could relate to and experience a bond with. So if you are looking for something new to read then you have to check out The Unit today.
For Dorrit the agreement to live out her last years at the Unit would be just fine with her. That is till she met someone. His name is Johannes. He is a fellow writer like Dorrit and he has being living at the Unit for a while. Dorrit never expected to meet anyone, especially someone like Johannes. Dorrit learns that her sister, Siv used to life at the Unit as well. Siv like Dorrit fell in love with someone as well. Unfortunately there was no happy ending for Siv and her lover. After Dorrit hears about Siv, she starts to have second thoughts about living at the Unit and what her and Johannes future may hold for them.
Have you ever wondered where exactly are the lines being crossed when it concerns science and humanity? This question is brought into play in The Unit. Author Ninni Holmqvist brings a creative and refreshing outlook to what we as a society will do for science as well as love. I picked up this book and instantly became spellbound. I found I couldn't tear myself away from this book and finished it in one afternoon. The characters where real people that you could relate to and experience a bond with. So if you are looking for something new to read then you have to check out The Unit today.
luciethinks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Un livre incroyablement bon, et un coeur indubitablement brisé, encore et encore, par une histoire qui en avait fait la promesse dès le départ.
La grande surprise, c'est la tournure "humaine" qu'a pris l'histoire, considérant le synopsis ; on part sur une dystopie tragique à la Servante Écarlate, et on arrive à un petit bijou de connections humaines, et de résilience par le contact avec autrui.
C'est donc étonnée mais très appreciative que je vais désormais aller me reposer après tant d'émotion... Et si je ne lui mets pas le maximum de point, pour des raisons toutes personnelles et subjectives, je pense néanmoins avec une grande énergie que ce livre mérite une infinité de bons points et de lecteurs.
La grande surprise, c'est la tournure "humaine" qu'a pris l'histoire, considérant le synopsis ; on part sur une dystopie tragique à la Servante Écarlate, et on arrive à un petit bijou de connections humaines, et de résilience par le contact avec autrui.
C'est donc étonnée mais très appreciative que je vais désormais aller me reposer après tant d'émotion... Et si je ne lui mets pas le maximum de point, pour des raisons toutes personnelles et subjectives, je pense néanmoins avec une grande énergie que ce livre mérite une infinité de bons points et de lecteurs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, and Blood
literarylover37's review against another edition
2.0
I was on board for this premise until I read a review that made me think too hard about the premise. The second half of the book then completely fell apart for me.
rachel_smrt's review against another edition
3.0
Have you read Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go"? There's a fair amount of crossover here. Here, people who are older, single, and childless are deemed "dispensable" by the government (through a process the narrator glosses over quickly--I would have liked a bit more on how it happened) and brought to a nice, comfy, resorty-retirement community where they make new friends, eat tasty food, and then participate in terrifying medical experiments and gradually donate all their organs till they die. Uplifting! It's a good read, though--the narrator is likable but never ingratiating and the book moves quickly. If this were an American book instead of a Swedish one, there'd be a stirring monologue about the inhumanity and a swift takedown of the regime, but here you have do your own horrified reaction shots, which is good writing but slightly less emotionally satisfying.
liketheday's review against another edition
4.0
It's not ever terribly exciting... the story is fairly slow-paced and the focus is really on the emotions of the people within the Unit, which are quite up and down, as one might imagine. And Holmqvist does a great job of this. She also does an excellent job portraying the whole Unit system as a pretty good idea, really, if not a very easily sustainable one.
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rozlev's review against another edition
5.0
This book has an interesting premise and is beautifully written. It's a book that will stay with you long after you finish.
justkirstie's review against another edition
5.0
best book I've read this year. a book doesn't have to make me cry to be a good read, but... i cried a lot. incredible.
ammbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Very thought provoking....and not always in a good way. I was disturbed by it on some levels. Would keep and reread..