The Measure

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.