Reviews with content warning for Death - The Measure

One day, people wake up to find a box with a string on their doorsteps. Their string is the measure of their life - an indication of how long they will live. No one knows where the boxes come from or how they know how long you'll have, but the boxes soon prove to be legitimate. And so, life is forever changed.

Ok, I loved this. Dabbing my toes in the unfamiliar world of dystopian fiction, this was one I was happy to dive fully into. Instead of focusing on where the boxes come from or how they could possibly know the length of one's life, the book deals more with the effects the boxes have on a set of individuals, as well as society at large.

The world that Erlick builds post-boxes is so realistic and so well thought-out. Seeing how events unfolded in the Covid-lockdown era, as well as how society adjusted to the 'new normal', it all made sense to a point where you still know it's dystopian, but eerily also very much a potential future. (More so than the possibility of the whole of African population being evaporated as in The Man In The High Castle.)

And not to start on how thought provoking this was. Would I open my own box to find out how long my string was? Would short-string discrimination be something I'd (unconsciously) partake in too? I kept thinking about it after putting it down, but I'll also be thinking about it long after.

Recommended to people who wanted more dystopia in They Both Die At The End.

Content Warnings

thecleversiamese's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

leahgustafson's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

From the second I first heard about this book, I was so excited to read it. I was hoping this would be similar to The Midnight Library—which I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, while I think I’m in the minority opinion, this book fell flat for me.

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The premise of this book was very intriguing! The idea that each person receives a box with a string that represents the length of their life is a very interesting idea to explore. When thinking about this concept, I thought about it from a personal or individual standpoint. Nikki Erlick touches on some bigger, broader social issues that I hadn’t thought of (yet they would be very relevant). These include how the strings could potentially impact: government regulations/policy, the political scene and election process, occupations people are allowed to/choose to have, and how it could ultimately lead to divisiveness and discrimination against a new group of people—those with short strings. I know some people didn’t appreciate the political commentary, but it’s true that this type of situation would seep into all facets of life, government and politics included. However, I felt like the commentary on all these social issues was very brief and surface level. Had the author chosen just one to focus on and flesh out, it may have been better.

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Characters and character development are so critical for me, and this is where I felt the biggest let down. This book follows the lives of eight central characters, focusing on how they navigate a new world in which they are able to pinpoint how long they will live, how they cope with their (and their loved ones) string length, and the choices they make in light of this newfound information. Sadly, I didn’t feel a deep attachment to any of the characters. Again, it felt very surface level and predictable. There were no big surprises and not a ton of personal growth, in my opinion. All of their storylines and how they were somewhat woven together was interesting. Though, I’m not sure if it was the way the characters were written or if eight characters is just too many to really create the kind of depth I was hoping for.

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All of this said, there were some beautiful prose throughout this story that really made me pause and reflect on the meaning of life, the choices we make that impact the kind of lives we live, and whether or not those choices are in line with our core values.
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Check out what I'm reading next on Instagram @LeahsLitReview!

Content Warnings

ofpagesandparagraphs's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

kwolf21's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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anniesbookpicks's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

hannahmichele5's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

"That the beginning and the end may have been chose for us, the string already spun, but the middle had always been left undetermined, to be woven and shaped by us."

I absolutely loved this book. I started the physical book but when I realized the audiobook was narrated by Julia Whelan I switched to audio and I am so glad I did. This was such a beautiful and unique story that had me constantly pondering than many questions that were being asked. It almost reminded me of THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY, not in the story, but in the way it just made me stop and think. Would highly recommend to anyone in your life and I also think this would be an amazing bookclub pick!

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