The Measure

This is one very satisfying read--from the chaotic intersecting lives of complete strangers, to seeing the puzzle pieces snap into place.

I honestly could see the real world upended by knowing when their time is at an end. The opportunities, the helpers, the selfish, the unstable--everyone felt like living, breathing people.

The only fight I have after turning the last page was Amie's decision. Knowing how it would affect everyone around her, she still took what I felt to be the selfish route, but those people are out there too so still very believable.

A lot of questions can be asked about motivation, anonymity, fulmillment and what it means to lead a life well-lived.

Great read.

An absolutely fantastic book!

A very thought provoking read, with a wonderful cast of characters with the exception of Anthony Rollins and his wife, Katherine! They were the worst and I really couldn't stand them.

The book was beautifully written, with plenty of sad and heartwarming moments. I loved how, when the need arose, people were quick to come together despite the efforts of others to cause division.

I'm so indecisive, I have no idea what I would have done if I'd found myself with a box on my doorstep!

Thank you to PH and Nikki Erlick for the chance to read this book.

Highly recommend it!

This was a great book, and it's premise has provided me with hours and hours of material to ponder about.  I did think that the story was a bit too political/partisan...but I suppose it was unavoidable, on some level.  I just hate how people are so divided about EVERYTHING.  Anyway, the book was a great one though!

I saw that a lot of people were reading this book recently and after reading the fantastic summary I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon. I'm glad I did because this was an engaging read the whole way through; I'm not sure if I would rank it as a modern classic but it's well-written and accessible.

After reading about intelligent spiders and super-advanced AIs for the last few months, it was nice to pull back and read a book with a simple, but incredible premise. One day every person over 22 is inexplicably given a box that contains a string whose length is a representation of that person's lifespan. The Measure simultaneously evokes 2009's The Box and 2011's In Time, but this book is far better than either film in its exploration of humanity and its character writing. The story is delivered as a multi-narrative, and it's the perfect structure to pair with such a premise as you get to see the effects of the strings across a cross-section of well-developed characters.

The writing was a standout feature of this book. Despite the large ensemble, each of the primary narratives has exquisite characterization and truly gripping dialogue; the multitude of stories interweave in the most unexpected ways all the while peppering in gorgeous vignettes and personal stories. The passion of the author is evident in how they connect each interaction and character development to the larger narrative, effectively illustrating their points. There are several intelligent choices as far as story structure and narrative design that impressed me, and the degree to which all the stories connect (even in the smallest ways) is something I wish more authors aspired to achieve.

A core issue I had with the book is its lack of depth in exploring oppression and division. Although some characters are “short-stringers,” their struggle primarily revolves around loss rather than oppression. The author briefly touches on the topic during a support group session in the ‘Fall' section, where Maura questions why they (the short-stringers) have to be the only ones fighting for change when short-stringers already have enough to deal with. However, this message falls flat as most of the following chapters focus more on the characters' romantic relationships rather than exploring the strings' larger effects on the world. Overall, while the book touches on important themes, it could benefit from delving deeper into the experiences of the oppressed characters.

Another issue I had was that the book comes across as preachy and opinionated, an observation that may resonate with some readers. That's not to discount the poignant and heartfelt message, because after all what better, or more appropriate place is there to speak to your truth than in your own novel? I would simply note that the tone can, at times, slip into condescension. As a speculative work, it presents a believable future, but the rhetoric (especially in the early chapters) reflects the current state of the world, and, despite being relatable, tends to evoke derision and exhaustion in me. The book's main message is about how we create unnecessary divisions, but the constant preaching detracts from the complexity and nuance of that message. Although I agree with the author's viewpoints, the allegory and delivery can feel like a purity test at times. It's important to note this flaw, especially given recent instances of book banning. Conservative readers may dismiss this book as “woke fiction” or something equally unfounded.

Thankfully most of the novel is a web of beauty and tragedy that does its best to bridge gaps in ideology with moments of humanity. There is a tapestry of fate that's woven within the narrative, mirroring the string's prominent role in the story. Looking past some of the sloppy messaging, there is a gorgeous and multifaceted collection of stories to get lost in. There are some truly touching moments towards the end of the book that appear like mana for the faithful, a reward for readers that stuck through the Sunday service. Each character's journey evokes a thoughtful pause and in some cases, all but forces the reader to put the book down and think.

Qué será, será
Whatever will be, will be

TL;DR: This that good good. A big beautiful tapestry of a book, that despite being a little on the nose delivers heartfelt moments and leaves you thoughtful and teary-eyed.

Creating a mystery box is not particularly challenging, that being an airplane crash some place isolated from time and space, a galleon lost in a reimagined version of hell, or the world waking to spaceships humming over the stratosphere. It's seldom a challenge.

The challenge is, in fact, opening the box to a satisfying, elegant resolution. As much as we are tempted to label books as good or bad, my particular appreciation stems significantly from the wondrous nature of how an abnormal situation is resolved, and how logical or sensical that resolution is when confronted with the established world built within the plot.

This is my preamble to establish that my particular taste and expectations may not match everyone else's, and your experience and appreciation for this novel may be dramatically different from mine. And why is that important?

Because the mystery box here is interesting until, half way in, it becomes clear that it happens in a universe with no cameras or monitoring systems. In fact, this version of our world is devoid of scientists or engineers, and is populated - apparently - by suburban cutouts of people who never really feel real. It's a superficial analysis of the social and political implications of a society in disarray, but one where every single actor is, at the core, a high middle class woman in costume. This is particularly notorious (and, at times, embarrassing) when, in order to build the world, the author throw a number of caricatures of stereotypical personae with no particular depth other than resembling House of Cards characters.

The light poking at politics and sterile commentary on social justice is insufficient to detract from the fact that the premise does not function as a plot device. Any attempt to establish a realistic response to the premise is very quickly discarded in favour of (what feels to me) an attempt at a soap opera-y pulls of the proverbial heartstrings - in fact, it is at par with the low expectations from the readership in terms of vocabulary and short POV chapter structure. And all this was, for me, unsatisfactory.

It is entirely possible this is just a novel intended as light summer reading. And that's OK. I guess.

Your mileage may vary.

<i>”The measure of your life lies within.”</i>

Imagine you had a box whose contents would tell you almost exactly how long your life was. Imagine <i>everyone</i> did. Would you look? How would you react? Would you treat people with shorter lives differently? Would it change your outlook on life? This book explores those questions through the points of view of several people, who all come together, either directly or indirectly, through a support group for people with shorter lives ahead of them. We get to know the (large) cast, and essentially this book tells each of their stories through their own POV chapters and their experiences with this huge experience.

I loved all the things this book decided to explore. Personal things like love, loss, death, how to live your life knowing when the end is coming, and much larger things like how the world would react, societal divides, and political impacts. Getting to know the cast of characters as they navigate this weird world they’re in now is the point of the book, and if you go into this expecting some sort of action-y payoff you’re going to be disappointed. The characters are the point of this story, not the boxes themselves. I especially like how “interconnected” the characters feel, where someone referenced early on in the book comes to have their own POV chapters later on. It made the whole thing feel like “we’re in this together”, which I guess is also the point.

I see lots of low reviews about the inclusion of politics/agendas, the fact that it has sad moments, and that it’s a slow burn character piece. I guess, then, fair warning that all of this exists, but I think the point of the book is that it can all be overcome. There’s a lot of parallels here for living with a terminal disease, where you know your clock’s ticking, so what do you do? The boxes in the story don’t change when you die, it just lets you know ahead of time, if you choose to look. Sure there’s sad moments, but that’s life, and I appreciated how the book handled them.

5-star easy favorite this year. For the record, I don’t think I’d look in my box.

A VERY surprising 5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was NOT expecting to enjoy it even.. dare I say.. LOVE this book as much as I did! I'm much more of a thriller and horror reader so the thought of reading Magical Realism made me skeptical. I read it for Talk Bookish To Me (Gwen's) buddy ready and ommmmggg did it surprise me in so many ways. The deep emotions and thoughts this provokes is so intense, I was crying while listening to the audiobook at work.

There are many characters so at first I thought that was. A shoe in to not be interested in them.. but you learn about their lives on such a deep and emotional level and see fall in love with these characters and you see how their stories connect.. it's just so beautiful.

It poses the question of what would you do if you knew how long you had left to live. Or if you knew your loved ones time. How would you live life differently? How would you treat others?

This was an undoubtedly powerful read and I'm so thankful I took the chance to read it regardless of genre “preference”.

This was amazing and I feel like would be a great discussion as well.

So happy I read it!

In short, I really liked this book. I found the concept intruiging and thought-provoking, which is obviously why I wanted to read it, and / but I found that the telling of the stories had both a depth and a lightness to it, which for me made the reading experience very enjoyable.

Dealing with the topic of life and death, it could definitely have been a deeper, heavier read, but it didn't need to be. There is heartbreak and heartwrenching moments, but also kindness and hope. Humanity in different forms.

It could also have been a lot more intellectualized, but there are thoughts and perspectives sprinkled throughout the book and I appreciated that. I let you as a reader think for yourself, and it felt like the author assumed that I as a reader had a mind of my own, and didn't need to explain every single aspect in detail, banging it over my head. Simple mentions of things were enough to get the point across.

I really liked the mix of people, characters I guess, but I think of them as people, which I think is a good thing, and different kinds of relationships. There were singles, couples, flirtation, old friendship, siblings, new aquaintances, colleagues. And I really liked the way the stories intertwined. When there are different perspectives like this, I usually find some of them less interesting, to the point where I almost want to skip chapters, but that wasn't the case for me here.

Before reading it, I kind of expected there to be more of “let's quit our jobs and move to a tropical island”-kind of thinking, and that was briefly mentioned in passing, but the stories we follow are not that. Good thing.

I wouldn't say it's life-changing, but it did make me think about life and how I want to spend it, and the memory of the book is a warm and positive one. Would definitely recommend.

What would happen if one day each adult over 22 years of age found out exactly how long they would live? This book explores the impact that knowledge would have on individuals, their relationships, and society as a whole.

Coming from someone who is not a big fan of science fiction, or speculative fiction as this may be better categorized, I am surprised how much I love this book. The premise is intriguing and pulled me into the storyline immediately. In addition to the engaging premise, the beautiful prose and character development make this story stand out.

As the story begins, everyone over the age of 22 receives a box with a string in it. The string is either short or long in correlation to the length of each person's life. The storyline follows several different perspectives of individuals to reveal how different people react to the situation. It explores how the knowledge of one's lifespan could affect one's choices and relationships. It shows both the positive and negative ways people might behave if they had this powerful knowledge.

One of the best aspects of this novel is the characters. The author creates such vivid characters that are relatable and lovable. The reader becomes invested in their storylines.

I particularly enjoyed the exploration of how the leaders of a country would respond in a situation like the one in this book. It left me thinking about how our society would behave and how it might impact my life if it were real. To me, that is the sign of a good book. I cannot wait to recommend this one to people I know so I can talk about it with them.

I can't help but gush about this book. If you read one speculative fiction book this year, make it this one! I just loved the story and how it was told from alternating POVs only for them all to come together at the end and make sense as a whole. This felt like an ancient Greek choir where each voice adds their own special touch to the overall arc ot the story. Just loved loved loved it!
E. B. White ‘I arise every morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savour the world. This makes it hard to plan for the day.'

I feel like I've been duped. The premise of this book sounded infinitely more interesting than it actually was and the ratings I've seen for this book seem disproportionately high. I was bored for most of this. I had to force myself through and narrowly avoided a reading slump. I played through the entire trilogy of the Spyro games just to avoid reading this book... I love dystopian science fiction. It's in my top 5 favorite genres, but this was mostly sad and depressing. Ordinary people waiting for their deaths. There were way too many perspectives to follow and any one of them could have been swapped out and it would still be the same book. One of the characters talks about other dystopian books that I feel like the author tried to pull from, but this book doesn't stand up to The Hunger Games or The Handmaiden's Tale. Yes, there was an opressive government, but no overturnng of said government and we don't even find out where the boxes come from. I feel like I've read enough political fiction from actual disenfranchised groups that I'm just not interested in dystopian versions from non-disenfranchised groups anymore. Ugh. I'm sad because I really thought I would love this.

Eh. It was fine. An attempt to examine prejudice without the baggage of existing prejudices; didn't really live up to that though. Just a kind of simple “ensemble cast”-style story of characters in this new world, none of whom particularly grabbed me. Didn't really lead up to much or have a noticeable climax. Just kind of happened. Writing style unremarkable, so it's not one of those literary “nothing happens but it happens beautifully” kind of books.

Truly moving and rising good moral questions while also touching hearts. There were aspects which might be considered as needing a second look, be it the fact that the spotlight was very quickly turned to people instead of the origin of the boxes (I can imagine in real life it would last a lot longer wondering about extraterrestrial life and whatnot) or the lack of conspiracy theories about the messages in the boxes, the unexplained things like the 22 year old mark or the calculations for the exact year of death. But I assumed it was either an editorial choice or the author's option to focus quickly on the eight characters and their own look at things, which were already a lot to talk about - and in some cases not even fully explored, maybe. In any case, the consequences - expectations from the government to rule things, the rebellion from the short stringers, the stupidity from the long stringers trying out ways of dying, the whole Lord of the flies attempts at ruling everyone, political use of the boxes, couples making out or parting ways after knowing what would happen, people leaving town and jobs to ‘enjoy life'... it was all very absurd and yet very possible, and it left me thinking for hours after finishing the book - which regardless of academic literary quality is for me the shining star.
Also, even if I had seen the ending coming, it was sad and fulfilling in equal measure.