The book club decided to throw in a little fiction to work as a palate cleanser for all the non-fiction we have been reading. The Measure by Nikki Erlick is arguably one of the best speculative fiction books that was published in 2022. Nikki Erlick hands her readers a moral dilemma about what each of us would do if we were to find out how long we had to live. The determination of the how long one lives is based on the length of a string that arrives at everyone’s doorstep when they turn 18. The book asks each of us to consider what we would do if we were faced with this choice and how it would impact every aspect of our life no matter which decision was made (even if you choose not to look).
The characters we are introduced to in the novel are effective at drawing us in because we develop a relationship with them as we watch their fates unfurl in front of us. This book asks the reader to consider big questions about prejudice, injustice, and how to be resilient in the face of uncertainty. I highly recommend this book for those who like a bit of meat in your fiction choices and I absolutely DID NOT see some of the twists coming at the end.
