One morning, everyone in the world awakens to find a mysterious box at their door. Those who choose to open the boxes discover they each contain a single string. At first, no one can determine what it means, though an inscription leads many to determine that the length of the string probably correlates with the length of their lives; a theory which is borne out in the following days, weeks, and months, as those with shorter string begin to perish.
As one would expect, this bizarre development has dramatic effects on modern society, and debut novelist Nikki Erlick dramatizes many of them here by zeroing in on 8 interconnected lives. Spanning years, we follow these characters as they experience life’s milestones through the lens of people who (mostly) know when they and their loved ones are going to die. The concept allows the author to explore these events from a fresh perspective and lends many some added suspense. Aware of how much time they have left, should they change jobs, travel, get married, have children? And this of course leaves the reader to wonder what they would do if faced with similar decisions.
The effects the strings’ arrival has on wider society are equally interesting, drawing many parallels to both the best and worst of humanity’s current tendencies. Prejudice and authoritarianism are both touched upon, but so are mankind’s proclivity for empathy, kindness, and optimism.
The Measure is an easy read, with short, punchy chapters that keep the pages turning and characters that are fleshed out enough to be relatable. While there isn’t really a primary plot per se a lot happens between these 2 covers. Dealing with death, fate, family, hope, fear, hatred, and most of all, love, in the end this feels like a book about everything. That’s a lot for a debut author to take on, but Erlick handles it well. It might have been nice to delve into some of the story’s themes a little deeper, but that’s what the myriad book club discussions The Measure will inspire are for. ★★★★
★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor
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