I really enjoyed this book. It's so realistic to how the world would actually react if something of this nature occurred (and you'll probably even find yourself drawing some similarities to our world since 2020). Also just a genuinely great story about life and human connection. Definitely recommend checking this one out.

I’ve been excited to read The Measure by Nikki Erlick, mainly because I loved The Midnight Library and I am fascinated by novels that have the reader considering what’s important in their lives.  In this debut novel every single person on Earth (over the age of 22) is delivered a small, wooden box with a string that indicates how long their life will be.  No one understands where the boxes came from and every society around the world is processing this new information.  

 

The concept is interesting, and while not the first book to explore this type of societal and personal dilemma, it’s always unique how an author decides to approach the subject.  In this book, there is a lean towards individual characters and the way they process their own mortality.  You meet a few people and learn their stories, along with the stories of their loved ones, and this was my favorite part of the novel by far.  There are a few characters that are easy to connect with and I was invested in their personal journeys. 

 

There are also political and spiritual aspects in the story, which if this were to happen in real life would absolutely be the case.  Nonetheless, this was my least favorite part of the book because it was so surface level that it left me wondering what the message was intended to be from the author.  There was some light acknowledgement of systemic injustices that would be worsened or leveraged in this situation, but it was off-putting to see a new and fictional form of discrimination (having a short string / lifespan) centered as worse than the injustices endured by marginalized people today and throughout the past.  I won’t expand on this too much to avoid spoilers, but arc of this storyline was so buttoned up that it reminded me of when someone says we can solve systemic injustice with love and unity alone. 

 

I know you can only tackle so much in one book, and this was primarily about processing one’s mortality. I understood why author chose to weave politics and religion into each character’s personal contemplations, I just struggled with trying to weave in the broader societal narrative given how dense and complex it is.  It could be an entirely separate novel on just that storyline.  I sat with this one for a few days after finishing the story and I still can’t fully connect with the book.  I suspect it will be a very popular novel though and I might be in the minority of reviews – I’m looking forward to hearing what others think of this one. 

 

Content warnings:  Death, Grief, Mass shootings, Gun violence, Systemic discrimination 

Thank you, William Morrow, for the gifted copy of The Measure {partner}

Genre: Science Fiction
Format: 📖🎧
Pub Date: 6.28.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

Have you ever loved the concept of a book but not necessarily enjoyed the implementation of the story?

That’s how I felt about the Measure. The concept is so innately thought-provoking — we’ve seen the plot before where characters discover their actual date of death, and all hell breaks loose. But, in this story, the characters receive a string that tells them the length of their life. They aren’t privy to the specific day they die, but they know whether their life will be long or short.

What didn’t work for me was all the turmoil that erupted after the strings were discovered. I had a hard time following along with what was happening and the connection to today’s society — I know there’s one there, but I think it may have been over my head. The other aspect that I think is unfortunate is that the author goes into detail regarding several mass shootings, bombings, etc., and it felt a little too real due to the US climate. (❗️mass shooting, suicide, bombings).

However, once I finished the book and sat down to process what I’d read, I did appreciate that author, Nikki Erlick, was showing what can be accomplished even with a short life. It made me appreciate my life and all that I still have to offer.

If you’ve read this one, I would love to discuss it with you! Also, please remember that this is only my opinion, and I would love it if you chose to pick up The Measure and read it! So, while I can’t say that I loved The Measure, it gave me a lot to think about.


______

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookend.diner/
Follow my blog: https://thebookenddiner.com/
Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thebookenddiner
Follow me on StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thebookenddiner