WPL's Fiction Book Group chose Nikki Erlick's debut novel, The Measure (2022), to be the first book up for discussion in 2025. In light of the pressure many feel to begin each new year with personal resolutions, the story felt particularly timely in January. That said, I think The Measure is the kind of novel that makes for great conversations in any season.
With only one book under her belt, Erlick already seems to be the kind of writer who is primarily concerned with big ideas. This plot is concept-driven. What if, Erlick asks, a box shows up one day outside the entrance of every dwelling in the world? The box is inscribed with the words: THE MEASURE OF YOUR LIFE LIES WITHIN. Once opened, a string is revealed inside the box. People are confused at first. What are these strings, and why are they of different lengths? Then scientists around the world convene, and it is determined: each string reveals how long the box's recipient will live. Soon humanity is divided into two camps: long-stringers and short-stringers, and the plot thickens.
Questions abound. Are the strings a blessing or a curse for society and individuals? How will different cultures and governments cope with the strings? "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" This last quotation, a line from a poem by Mary Oliver, is actually the epigraph to the novel.
Erlick explores a variety of conflicts related to the book's big idea through diverse characters. In fact, there are eight points of view total. Some might find this number to be too great, but I thought it was interesting to see the different ways people might respond to learning how long they might live. I also appreciated the ways in which the characters' lives intertwined. Is this by chance or is because of destiny? When you read The Measure, that's up to you to decide.