Beginning ~ with strange little boxes

Beginning

It was difficult to imagine a time before them, a world in which they hadn't come.  But when they first appeared, in March, nobody had any idea what to do with them, these  strange little boxes that came with the spring.

The Measure ~ by Nikki Erlick, 2022, fiction, 368 pages

When you open your front door today, waiting for you is a small wooden box.  This box holds your fate inside:  the answer to the exact number of years you will live.  From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box.  In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy.  Where did these boxes come from?  What do they mean?  Is there truth to what they promise?

Everyone faces the same shocking choice:  Do they wish to know how long they’ll live?  And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?  If you had the choice, would you want to know how long you had to live?

I learned about this book when I sat down at a table with Mary (a friend), just as she closed this book.  I asked her about it, and she said it was okay, but she was not satisfied with the ending.  When I later looked up the book online, the second comment I found said that this is "an unsatisfying read."  If you've read it, what did YOU think about it?

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays