BOOK REVIEW        The Measure by Nikki Erlick

If you were given the opportunity to find out how long you would live, would you choose to find out?

That’s a fundamental question in this amazing tale of a world in which everyone receives a mysterious box that provides the answer if you simply look inside. Just as you can imagine, the world reacts in conflicting ways to these boxes, much like we see in our society with each new event. In fact, the eight characters of focus experience heartbreak and pain with the added burden of lifespan knowledge and how to spend the allotted time. Should they proceed with marriage? Children? Continue to work?

Within the pages of this novel, you are sure to relate to at least one member of the cast as they maneuver a life turned upside down personally along with the larger scale chaos in society. The military reacts with new rules and politics are at play when candidates can boast a long or short life of leadership. The whole question of life expectancy of our real-life president just happens to be a point of conjecture right now!

Personally, my reading taste usually centers around realistic portrayals of life. Yet, a friend adamantly recommended this and I’m glad I took it on. Even though the possibility of having a box delivered to every adult human telling of their time on Earth is a bit far-fetched, the events and individual struggles of each person was so realistically told, I was immediately whisked away to the world of The Measure. What I hadn’t counted on was the depth of investment I experienced with the idea of knowing when your life ends versus the mindset of living out your days with hope and that little bit of a gamble as to how it all plays out.

I love a book that keeps me thinking about the characters and world they inhabit after the final page, but this one in particular, has been in my thoughts for weeks. Despite reading other books, I am still twisting this one around in my mind, fascinated by how our human nature responds to the dilemma presented here. What would I change if I knew when it would end?

I encourage you to check this one out if you enjoy reading about relatable individuals thrown into a world-wide social upheaval that will provoke personal insight as well as an exploration of your own existence. Happy reading!