Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.
It seems like just another morning.
You make a cup of tea. Check the news. Open the front door.
On your doorstep is a box.
Inside the box is the exact number of years you have left to live.
The same box appears on every doorstep across the world.
Do you open yours?
The Measure by Nikki Erlick was published on 7 July 2022 by The Borough Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour.
I have been completely immersed in this story for the past couple of days. It is just my type of book, it throws up so many discussion points, it looks at humanity, it examines how we measure our lives and it's well written with characters that I totally connected with.
It seems like any normal morning, but it's going to be a day that nobody ever forgets. Every single person in the world, aged twenty-two and over, wakes up to find that they've had a box delivered to them. Small boxes, that appeared to be made from wood, with the message 'the measure of your life lies within'.
It seems like any normal morning, but it's going to be a day that nobody ever forgets. Every single person in the world, aged twenty-two and over, wakes up to find that they've had a box delivered to them. Small boxes, that appeared to be made from wood, with the message 'the measure of your life lies within'.
Inside the box is a piece of string, and the length of that string determines the length of your life. Some people open them immediately, some people wait a while, some never open them. As people turn twenty-two, the boxes are delivered. Everyone has one, no matter who they are, or where they live. Everyone.
Nikki Erlick tells the story through the eyes of eight very different characters. Some are what becomes known as 'short stringers', some are 'long stringers', but each one of them are very individual, each dealing with the potential consequences of their box, and the boxes of their loved ones in very different ways. It is a fascinating look at humankind, about the basic instincts to survive, about coping mechanisms and inner strengths and weaknesses.
At the heart of the story is the division that quickly grows throughout the world. As short-stringers begin to find themselves unable to get a job, a bank loan, or move into higher office, we realise that people have found another thing to discriminate against. The divide grows at first, with the fear of the dangerous, potentially violent short-stringer being peddled by those who want power. However, just as in our real world, people do show the better side of humanity, with marches, and events and wonderfully supportive communities springing up to try to bring the world together, instead of tearing it apart.
Nikki Erlick has produced a novel that examines every single flaw in humanity and delves into the current state of the world in a totally entertaining way. Nothing is made light of, there are some hard-hitting and thought provoking issues dealt with, but it's written in such an accessible way that the reader never feels bogged down, or depressed by what is around us.
Convincing, compelling and eye-opening. Highly recommended from me. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.
Nikki Erlick tells the story through the eyes of eight very different characters. Some are what becomes known as 'short stringers', some are 'long stringers', but each one of them are very individual, each dealing with the potential consequences of their box, and the boxes of their loved ones in very different ways. It is a fascinating look at humankind, about the basic instincts to survive, about coping mechanisms and inner strengths and weaknesses.
At the heart of the story is the division that quickly grows throughout the world. As short-stringers begin to find themselves unable to get a job, a bank loan, or move into higher office, we realise that people have found another thing to discriminate against. The divide grows at first, with the fear of the dangerous, potentially violent short-stringer being peddled by those who want power. However, just as in our real world, people do show the better side of humanity, with marches, and events and wonderfully supportive communities springing up to try to bring the world together, instead of tearing it apart.
Nikki Erlick has produced a novel that examines every single flaw in humanity and delves into the current state of the world in a totally entertaining way. Nothing is made light of, there are some hard-hitting and thought provoking issues dealt with, but it's written in such an accessible way that the reader never feels bogged down, or depressed by what is around us.
Convincing, compelling and eye-opening. Highly recommended from me. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.
Newsweek, Cosmopolitan and The Huffington Post.
She graduated Harvard University summa cum laude and is a former editor of The Harvard Crimson.
She earned a master's degree in Global Thought from Columbia University.
The Measure is her debut novel.
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