The Measure

· HarperCollins UK
4.1
8 reviews
Ebook
368
Pages

About this ebook

‘GRIPPING AND POIGNANT’ RUTH HOGAN, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things

‘CLEVER AND ENTERTAINING’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘A THOUGHT-PROVOKING READ’ PRIMA

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like just another morning.

Around the world, people wake up, check the news, open the front door.

On every doorstep is a box. Inside that box is the exact number of years that person has left to live.

Whether they open it or hide it under their bed, each person must learn to live in this new world: a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush their life together, a doctor who cannot save himself from his own fate, best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything...

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

‘EXAMINES THE BIG LIFE AND DEATH QUESTIONS IN A CLEVER AND, DARE WE SAY IT, ENTERTAINING WAY’ WOMAN & HOME

‘INTRIGUING’ WOMAN’S WEEKLY

‘LIFE-AFFIRMING’ CHRISTINA DALCHER, bestselling author of Vox

‘DESPITE ITS CHILLING PREMISE, ERLICK’S NOVEL IS AN ESCAPE FROM — RATHER THAN A WINDOW INTO — OUR OWN TERRIFYING REALITY’ NEW YORK TIMES

‘COMPELLING AND HEART-BREAKING’ Bridget Collins, bestselling author of The Binding

'A SHARP LENS FOR REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS' DAILY MAIL

‘A HEARTFELT PARABLE FOR OUR OWN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES’ Laurie Frankel, bestselling author of One Two Three

‘BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED AND HUGELY IMAGINATIVE’ Claire North

‘BRILLIANT – I COULDN’T STOP READING’ Christina Sweeney-Baird

‘UTTERLY ORIGINAL AND WONDERFULLY MYSTERIOUS’ Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane

‘HUGELY COMPELLING’ Freya Sampson, author of The Last Chance Library

‘AN IRRESISTIBLE HOOK AND A STRONG EMOTIONAL HEART’ Luke Allnutt, author of We Own the Sky

Ratings and reviews

4.1
8 reviews
Lorraine See
November 24, 2022
Very interesting plot and well-written, with realistic characters who are easy to empathise with and get attached to. While I found it to be a pretty depressing read, it addresses many heavy themes that are relevant to the real world and ends with a hopeful note. I could not put the book down as I wanted to know how the story ends for all the characters.
Abena Childs
December 21, 2022
The story felt like a synopsis that was still being fleshed out. The chapters were repetitive - beyond the shock and fear of discovering you had a short string, the emotions didn't really deviate from 'it sucks to die soon'. If the chapters didn't start with the name of the character it would be difficult to differentiate between their voices. There were glimpses of how awful human nature might be in this situation, but the story never dared to really address the impact. Would you be denied life saving treatment if you were deemed to die soon anyway? What would happen if you were restricted from seeking employment? The story did attempt to raise these interesting points, but never delved beyond the surface of ' it kind of could happen...' If you're expecting a book like 'The Power', this is not it. Which is a shame, because this book could have been just as hard hitting and shocking as that.
Pauline Beer
September 19, 2023
loved this book so much very thought provoking.

About the author

Nikki Erlick’s writing has appeared on the websites of New York Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan and The Huffington Post. She graduated Harvard University summa cum laude and is a former editor of The Harvard Crimson. She earned a master's degree in Global Thought from Columbia University. The Measure is her debut novel.

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