The Measure
by Nikki Erlick
“Maybe I shouldn’t read The Measure by Nikki Erlick right now.” this was my initial thought.
Because everything seems to be reminding me that there are too many injustices in the world to keep up with, precious time is passing, I’m aging, the people I love the most are too and life is just hurling forward. Everything seems to be moving so fast. There’s no time to think, smile, breathe…and then guess what happens next.
Simply put, The Measure is about mortality. I imagine tons of people consider their mortality and feel bolstered to take chances in life they take. Whenever I come to consider mine, I usually stumble on what choices/changes to make and wonder if I’m doing enough.
I almost never feel I do enough. But then I don’t think I would want to live a reckless life either. I’m way too conscientious for that. And instead of resting in the grey area, I let the conflict of the two extremes lead me to feeling stalled out. I can’t count how often I question if I’m a good enough writer to even touch on any of the things we should be talking about (lots of us go through this so don’t pity me…but also please do?). Questioning my writing ability typically gives way to me questioning my humanity. To the point where I have to rest my head on the knuckles of my thumbs and interlock the fingers from both hands together in a way that makes a prayer fist. A gesture that is usually made when you really, really need God’s help.
The Measure mentions God a good bit, especially toward the beginning. With what the characters experience, I understand how many of them want to question — or lean on Him. The book is mystic and teetering on the edge of dystopic but so many parts about it are absolutely familiar. Like it could fit into any moment of real life.
Imagine if every adult past the age of 22 on the planet were given the option to become aware of their time on Earth, all at once. Could you imagine what that would do?
In this book, each the characters unexpectedly receive a mysterious box with the inscription, “The measure of your life lies within” and inside the box lies a string that represents the owner’s lifespan.
Before too long people create division between “long stringers” and “short stringers” and as the story moves forward, the strings impact everything. Politics, popular culture, relationships and how each individual chooses to exercise their free will. The strings leave nothing untouched.
“You didn’t need to die and be reborn in order to shift from one life to the next, thought Ben.” — Nikki Erlick, The Measure
They invite a lack of privacy. What starts as mere curiosity about a neighbor or a friend’s string length gives way to policies being made to demand that knowledge.
They threaten to invade autonomy. Once it’s discovered that a person is a “short stringer” all types of opportunities are stripped away.
Like I said this story feels familiar, disturbingly so. Nikki Erlick’s novel may be one of the most interesting dystopia books I’ve read in a while. (I’ve also been going through The Hunger Games series. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is another book that mentioned one or two things that were a little too on the nose for me right now.) The Measure does an amazing job of putting life into perspective. It brings up so many ideas about who humans are when the odds seem against us.
Opening the box to reveal your string could be paralleled with the story in Greek mythology of Pandora releasing all of the misfortunes on the world just because of her curiosity. The box is emptied of everything. All of its contents are horrible and all of them spill out into the world, all except one thing — hope. The hope that is left behind in that box is an encouragement because the hope in the box is still Pandora’s to hold.
My last post ended on a sort of negative vibe. Part of that was because I just didn’t know how to end it and had promised myself to operate on “done is better than perfect” juice for the rest of 2026. The other part was because I, along with everyone else, have been feeling the heat from tiny (medium and humongous) fires everywhere and I don’t know where to point my little water hose. Which order do we go in or is what I do even helping?
Just when I try to turn toward a pessimistic outlook for a modicum of time, I come across books like The Measure or friendly reminders not to be discouraged like the post below (excuse the profanity if you don’t prefer it):
I stumbled up on The Measure. I hadn’t heard about it. I just picked the audiobook while I was being waitlisted for The Hunger Games. I chose it because I thought the cover was nice. And it has turned out to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions I needed to feel in this moment. A tiny piece of escape while also prompting me to ask which stance I would take in my everyday life.
If any of us participate in cynicism about the world and where we’re headed, then we run the risk of becoming someone who convinces themself there is nothing to be done. There is always something to be done, even if it’s just a kind word or compassionate ear. I’m convinced that people who live by the principles of love, self-control, peace, kindness and the like, are the ones who win.
I’m going to switch back to romcoms to escape for a little bit more in March. I’ve been meaning to watch People We Meet on Vacation. I read the book back in 2024 and it is currently streaming on Netflix. I don’t care that it hasn’t had the most sparkly of reviews, I can admit that I felt a tinge of joy when I saw the preview. It was a pleasant surprise because I didn’t know they made it into a movie.
I’ll watch the movie, compare it to the book (which is always better no matter what) and maybe make a list of all my favorite love stories to soothe myself. But I won’t give up. I won’t give in to the “nothing can be done” outlook. There’s too much to do with the time I have left.
And the same goes for you! So, in the midst of everything, treat yourself and others with radical kindness, forgive faster but don’t skimp on the responsibility to hold people’s feet to the fire and say “I love you” with more frequency and freedom. Because no matter how much time you have, life is short.