Would you choose to find out the length of your life?
One spring day, small wooden boxes arrive for every person, all over the world, from suburban doorsteps to desert tents. All the boxes feature the same inscription, “The measure of your life lies within,” and vary in only two ways: the name of the recipient and the length of the single string inside. Instantly, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy, first to ascertain their origin and meaning, and then to confront the truth of the strings.
Told through multiple perspectives, The Measure introduces an unforgettable cast of characters whose lives weave and interlock with one another upon the arrival of the strings: a doctor who cannot save himself, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, and a politician whose string becomes a powder keg in an increasingly turbulent world.
As society divides itself, the truth has the power to unravel their long-held beliefs and relationships all while forging new alliances and philosophies about our time on this earth and our place in the community. Both heartbreaking and profoundly uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious meditation on life, family, and society that challenges us to consider the best way to live life to the fullest.
I read a lot of books in a year. I read for fun, to enjoy myself. I read because I am a bookseller, and while booksellers don't have to be readers, I think it helps. I read to learn new things and be exposed to new ways of seeing things.
I don't read to be punched in the heart, so, you know, thanks for that.
The blurb above covers the basics of the plot. The story follows half a dozen characters who pass in and out of each other's lives in the year following the arrival of the strings, with an epilogue a few years after that. As always for me, it took a while to get to grips with who each character is, as the voices aren't very distinct, but that won't be an issue for everyone and the chapters are all headed with the name of the featured character.
A fair part of the story is spent with characters debating how to live in a world where they can know almost exactly when they'll die. (It starts out with a range of a year, but the last time it's mentioned it's down to the exact month and presumably it gets even more accurate after that.) The reactions are as varied as the characters, and beautifully, every option is considered to be perfectly valid - people explain their own values and beliefs but, apart from one instance, no one blames anyone else or tells them their beliefs are stupid. There is a lot for the characters to unpick - should short stringers be given vital jobs? Should they be allowed to euthenise themselves rather than suffer a possibly horrible death? What should long stringers in established relationships with short stringers do? Should opening or not opening boxes be a personal decision or governed by the authorities? All of these and many more are discussed between various characters and given plenty of weight.
The ultimate question, of course, is whether you would open your box, given the chance? I haven't decided, but I can tell you I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come.
The Measure publishes on the 24th of May, 2022 in the US (lower image), and on the 7th of July, 2022 in the UK (top image). I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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