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A review by joyceheinen
The Measure by Nikki Erlick
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you could know how long you will live, would you want to know it? And if you knew the answer, what would you do with that information? This is the dilemma that the characters in “The Measure” have to deal with. One day, each person , 22 and over, receives a box. Within this box is a single string. The length of this string is different for everyone. This string tells you how long your life is.
At the start of the story, know one know what the strings mean. And nobody is forced to look at the inside of the box. But people are curious by nature, so most people do. And quickly society is split in two: the ones with the long strings and the so-called ‘short stringers’.
Author Nikki Erlick tells the story through several different perspectives. And this way you get to see how different people are dealing with a similar situation. Much like John Marrs’ books “The One” and “The Marriage Act”. For instance, we meet someone who finds out their string is short and how they try and cope with that information. We read from a couple where one of them gets a short string and the other doesn’t want to know. And also a long string politician, who is using it to his advantage for his campaign as a presidential candidate.
Many political, societal and ethical themes are touched upon. Like the aforementioned political candidate using it to gain more votes, for his opponent is a short-stringer. The army that doesn’t allow short-stringers, to up their odds. Mass shootings become even more ‘normal’, people breaking up with their partners because they don’t want to live with someone that will die within a few years and people with short strings that are denied health care.
“The Measure” is a unique premise that gives you a lot to think about, raises questions and makes you try to put you in the position of the characters. What would you do if you received the box? Would curiosity win? This book was so amazing, it’s thought provoking, unique and interesting to read from all the different perspectives. How something that is brought upon an entire society makes everyone respond to it so differently. A book I would recommend. For sure!
At the start of the story, know one know what the strings mean. And nobody is forced to look at the inside of the box. But people are curious by nature, so most people do. And quickly society is split in two: the ones with the long strings and the so-called ‘short stringers’.
Author Nikki Erlick tells the story through several different perspectives. And this way you get to see how different people are dealing with a similar situation. Much like John Marrs’ books “The One” and “The Marriage Act”. For instance, we meet someone who finds out their string is short and how they try and cope with that information. We read from a couple where one of them gets a short string and the other doesn’t want to know. And also a long string politician, who is using it to his advantage for his campaign as a presidential candidate.
Many political, societal and ethical themes are touched upon. Like the aforementioned political candidate using it to gain more votes, for his opponent is a short-stringer. The army that doesn’t allow short-stringers, to up their odds. Mass shootings become even more ‘normal’, people breaking up with their partners because they don’t want to live with someone that will die within a few years and people with short strings that are denied health care.
“The Measure” is a unique premise that gives you a lot to think about, raises questions and makes you try to put you in the position of the characters. What would you do if you received the box? Would curiosity win? This book was so amazing, it’s thought provoking, unique and interesting to read from all the different perspectives. How something that is brought upon an entire society makes everyone respond to it so differently. A book I would recommend. For sure!