Synopsis

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to 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?

Review

What a fabulous book!

I love dystopian novels, especially when they’re so believable you start to question your own sanity and wonder what you would do in the same situation.

In The Measure we meet a variety of characters, all with different reactions to the choice in front of them. Some continue as normal, ignoring their destiny; others try to make the most of their short time on earth. This has an effect across the world; camps are formed, lines are drawn and scapegoats are made.

Of course none of these actions will change the length of anyone’s life – some rash actions may even lead to their forewarned early death. But can any of us really hide from whatever it is that fate has in store?

While the concept itself is nothing new, what makes Erlick’s story so engrossing are the characters themselves. We can relate to them all so easily, that we readily empathise and their tragedies hit us hard.

I flew through this in a few hours, so desperate was I to know what happened next. It is a little predictable in places, but the end is no less devastating just because I saw it coming and I may have cried a little bit…

Well-written, poignant and entirely plausible, this is a fantastic book and I await Erlick’s next with anticipation!

Thanks to Borough Press for my proof copy. Opinions my own.

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