'GRIPPING AND POIGNANT' RUTH HOGAN, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things 'CLEVER AND ENTERTAINING' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'A THOUGHT-PROVOKING READ' PRIMA Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like just another morning. Around the world, people wake up, check the news, open the front door. On ...
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'GRIPPING AND POIGNANT' RUTH HOGAN, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things 'CLEVER AND ENTERTAINING' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'A THOUGHT-PROVOKING READ' PRIMA Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like just another morning. Around the world, people wake up, check the news, open the front door. On every doorstop is a box. Inside that box is the exact number of years that person has left to live. Whether they open it or hide it under their bed, each person must learn to live in this new world: a couple who thought they didn't have to rush their life together, a doctor who cannot save himself from his own fate, best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything... Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest. 'EXAMINES THE BIG LIFE AND DEATH QUESTIONS IN A CLEVER AND, DARE WE SAY IT, ENTERTAINING WAY' WOMAN & HOME 'INTRIGUING' WOMAN'S WEEKLY 'LIFE-AFFIRMING' CHRISTINA DALCHER, bestselling author of Vox 'DESPITE ITS CHILLING PREMISE, ERLICK'S NOVEL IS AN ESCAPE FROM - RATHER THAN A WINDOW INTO - OUR OWN TERRIFYING REALITY' NEW YORK TIMES 'COMPELLING AND HEART-BREAKING' Bridget Collins, bestselling author of The Binding 'A SHARP LENS FOR REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS' DAILY MAIL 'A HEARTFELT PARABLE FOR OUR OWN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES' Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of One Two Three 'BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED AND HUGELY IMAGINATIVE' Claire North 'BRILLIANT - I COULDN'T STOP READING' Christina Sweeney-Baird 'UTTERLY ORIGINAL AND WONDERFULLY MYSTERIOUS' Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane 'HUGELY COMPELLING' Freya Sampson, author of The Last Chance Library 'AN IRRESISTIBLE HOOK AND A STRONG EMOTIONAL HEART' Luke Allnutt, author of We Own the Sky
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Add this copy of The Measure to cart. $12.97, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2024 by William Morrow & Company.
Add this copy of The Measure to cart. $18.78, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2022 by William Morrow & Company.
Add this copy of The Measure to cart. $21.33, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2022 by William Morrow Large Print.
If a box arrived on the doorstep that contained a string which foretold the length of your life, would you open it? What would be the consequences if you did?
The Measure is a unique and intriguing premise and is a strong debut novel for accomplished writer Nikki Erlick. Each chapter changes perspective through a group of loosely related people as they try to navigate love, loss and moral dilemmas that the strings have brought onto the world. It's one of those books that brings up a lot of truly puzzling questions and allows you to ponder what you would do or feel in a similar situation. Some of the ideas explored, such as short-stringers being classed as secondary citizens, political mandates being introduced to make them unable to partake in certain jobs or the splitting of society as short-stringers are shunned or fight back seemed (sadly) realistic in today's world.
Not much is explored about the strings themselves, we have no idea where they came from or why and this isn't focused on throughout the narrative. It's much more a domestic thriller with a sci-fi or dystopian setting. You really get into the minds of the main characters; from Nina and Maura: a couple with very different string lengths, Amie who doesn't want to look at hers, Ben who had his fate told to him by a leaving lover or Jack and Javid who swap strings to escape the futures they feel unsuited for. It's a story of loss but also a story of hope and although the ending reduced me to tears, it really brings home the importance of using the time we have left to spend with those we love.
Overall, The Measure is a heart-breaking but uplifting read and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction and The Borough Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
