“The Measure” by Nikki Erlick, was published in the summer of 2022 and instantly became a New York Times Best Seller.
The story starts off with everyone in the world waking up one morning with a box at their doorstep that holds a string inside. The length of the string determines the length of their life. The novel follows a few characters as they struggle with the decision to open the box or not to open the box. This decision impacts their relationships, love lives, careers, family interactions, and more.
From then on when someone turns 22, they also receive a box at their doorstep. Society goes into array as they try to figure out the meaning of these strings, where they came from, and how much can the government intervene.
Would you open your box if you knew it determined how long you had to live? Would you want to know your death date?
