SYNOPSIS:
Instant New York Times Bestseller!
A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?
Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you the exact number of years you will live. From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise? As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice:
Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge? The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything. Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.
REVIEW:
This book reminded me of World War Z (the book, not that terribly disappointing movie) and that was one of my favourite stories ever! I loved The Measure for the same reasons I loved WWZ: both writers take an impossible idea and just ask “What would the whole world do if this crazy thing happened?”
And this is how this kind of novels are born, analysing the reactions of different countries based on our current reality and the state of the world.
There is no explanation on why that major thing happened. Only suppositions that are never proven real, so everyone just has to take things as they come and deal with them as best as they can. And honestly, there was not a second when I wished for a different storyline. Personally, I care less about the reason why any sort of mystery happens and more about the reaction that follows it.
There is no hero. No main characters, even though the story is narated through the eyes of different characters. The Measure does have fewer characters than WWZ so they do become more significant and it’s easier to become interested in their destinies. But I still feel like their purpose there is to lay the bigger story and not to limit the reading experience only to their own little roles.
I think it would have been interesting if the author treated the story on a larger scale, showing the reactions of more countries. But I might be biased here because of my love of WWZ and I just dream of a reacreation of that.
Still, Nikki Erlick did a great job portraying exactly how different societies would react to… basically anything unexpected or completely out of ordinary. There is no better illustration of how everything can and will be turned into a game of power, interests and money by the higher classes, while the regular people are the ones dealing with the injustice, pain and fighting for the greater good.
Loved the idea, loved the execution! It might not completely blow your mind, especially since it lacks a clear explanation about the origin or purpose of the boxes. But it will definitely provoke your mind over and over again with each chapter that comes.
