The Measure by Nikki Erlick

One morning the whole world wakes to find a small box for each adult. The box is inscribed with "The measure of your life lies within". No-one knows where the boxes came from. Those people who are curious open the box to discover a piece of string. Some people find short strings, some get medium length strings and others get long strings. It is eventually determined that the length of the string indicates how many years you have to live.

The story concerns a group of connected people and how their lives are impacted by the strings. 

This is a huge novel. Primarily the story is about prejudice and discrimination. Those who have a short string struggle with a variety of things that wouldn't normally be an issue such as employment, bank loans, relationships and medical treatment. 

How a person reacts to discovering how long they have left is also considered. From those who have a short string packing in their jobs so they can spend more time with their families or fulfilling a bucket list to long stringers who behave recklessly because they feel immune from death.

There are also people who chose not to open their box, simply to continue living life without knowing how long they have left.

This book raises so many questions and issues, it would make an ideal novel for book groups. Throughout my reading I wanted to discuss many of the points mentioned. Definitely not a book to be read in isolation.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick will be published in hardbook and ebook on 7th July 2022. My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGally for a review copy.