Helpful Score: 4
I have a "new pair of shoes" for you to try on. Close your eyes and picture yourself in these circumstances:
You're either a female, aged fifty, or a male, aged sixty. You live alone. You are childless. You don't make much money, and you certainly don't have a job in any of the "important" industries. So what, you may ask? Well, if you fit this description, a nice van will come to pick you up and whisk you away to one of the climate-controlled Reserve Bank Units for biological material. There you will be given a very nice small apartment. You will have access to the best food, the best shops, the best exercise facilities, and you don't have to pay for any of it. Well, that's not quite true. You will be paying dearly for it.
If you fit the description in the above paragraph, you have been termed "dispensable" by the government. You haven't contributed your fair share to society, and now is the time that you're expected to rectify your oversight. For the next few years, you will be taken care of, but you will also be expected to participate in medical and psychological experimentation, and you will donate your organs, a little bit at a time, until it's time for your "final donation".
This is the situation that Dorrit Weger finds herself in at the beginning of The Unit, a powerful debut novel by Swedish author, Ninni Holmqvist. I felt claustrophobic from the start. As Dorrit explores her lovely new apartment, she notices cameras everywhere. Everywhere. The closets, the bathroom...everywhere. There are no windows in her apartment. No snail mail, no email, no text messages, no telephone calls. No Internet surfing without strict supervision. Many of the people in these Reserve Bank Units might seem familiar to anyone who surfs the Internet reading book reviews and blogs:
"Well, it's because there are so many intellectuals here. People who read books."
"I see," I said again.
"People who read books," he went on, "tend to be dispensable. Extremely."
"Right," I said.
"Yes," he said.
Throughout the book, Holmqvist remains matter-of-fact. She tells her tale simply and doesn't try to make it into something it's not...and that's exactly what gives The Unit its mesmerizing, chilling power. There is much food for thought in the pages of this book. I'm still wondering if I could cope living in a society such as the one the author describes. Would I be willing to give up my freedom and shorten my life to live in the lap of luxury for a few years, knowing at the end that I will have helped many people by giving up parts of my body?
I still don't know, and I'm still pondering Dorrit's behavior at book's end. As I said, there is much to think about during and after reading this haunting tale. If this is indicative of the type of story-telling Holmqvist has within her, I hope to read many more of her books in the future.
You're either a female, aged fifty, or a male, aged sixty. You live alone. You are childless. You don't make much money, and you certainly don't have a job in any of the "important" industries. So what, you may ask? Well, if you fit this description, a nice van will come to pick you up and whisk you away to one of the climate-controlled Reserve Bank Units for biological material. There you will be given a very nice small apartment. You will have access to the best food, the best shops, the best exercise facilities, and you don't have to pay for any of it. Well, that's not quite true. You will be paying dearly for it.
If you fit the description in the above paragraph, you have been termed "dispensable" by the government. You haven't contributed your fair share to society, and now is the time that you're expected to rectify your oversight. For the next few years, you will be taken care of, but you will also be expected to participate in medical and psychological experimentation, and you will donate your organs, a little bit at a time, until it's time for your "final donation".
This is the situation that Dorrit Weger finds herself in at the beginning of The Unit, a powerful debut novel by Swedish author, Ninni Holmqvist. I felt claustrophobic from the start. As Dorrit explores her lovely new apartment, she notices cameras everywhere. Everywhere. The closets, the bathroom...everywhere. There are no windows in her apartment. No snail mail, no email, no text messages, no telephone calls. No Internet surfing without strict supervision. Many of the people in these Reserve Bank Units might seem familiar to anyone who surfs the Internet reading book reviews and blogs:
"Well, it's because there are so many intellectuals here. People who read books."
"I see," I said again.
"People who read books," he went on, "tend to be dispensable. Extremely."
"Right," I said.
"Yes," he said.
Throughout the book, Holmqvist remains matter-of-fact. She tells her tale simply and doesn't try to make it into something it's not...and that's exactly what gives The Unit its mesmerizing, chilling power. There is much food for thought in the pages of this book. I'm still wondering if I could cope living in a society such as the one the author describes. Would I be willing to give up my freedom and shorten my life to live in the lap of luxury for a few years, knowing at the end that I will have helped many people by giving up parts of my body?
I still don't know, and I'm still pondering Dorrit's behavior at book's end. As I said, there is much to think about during and after reading this haunting tale. If this is indicative of the type of story-telling Holmqvist has within her, I hope to read many more of her books in the future.
Helpful Score: 2
Very reminiscent in my mind of the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
I have always been very leery of translated books, feeling that something was going to get lost. But this book was all too real and all to relevant in a world that has gone slightly mad.
Dorrit Weger has hit the age, when women are over fifty and men are over sixty and childless, and are working in non progressive jobs, when they are taken to the Second Reserve Bank Unit. There their life starts over. They are given lovely apartments, medical care, delicious food, exercise and entertainment. The only problem is that they must subject themselves to drug and psychological testing, donating their organs, and then one day they are expected to make the final donation.
But what happens in this unit is beyond the psychological testing, beyond the separation from the outside world that has ignored them and separated them from productive people. Who consider them dispensable. Bonds are made and when the truly unthinkable, the highly improbable happens, Dorrit must make a choice that would be beyond the ability of most women.
This truly remarkable book hold you from beginning to end and is highly recommended for both the thought provoking read and for book group discussions.
I have always been very leery of translated books, feeling that something was going to get lost. But this book was all too real and all to relevant in a world that has gone slightly mad.
Dorrit Weger has hit the age, when women are over fifty and men are over sixty and childless, and are working in non progressive jobs, when they are taken to the Second Reserve Bank Unit. There their life starts over. They are given lovely apartments, medical care, delicious food, exercise and entertainment. The only problem is that they must subject themselves to drug and psychological testing, donating their organs, and then one day they are expected to make the final donation.
But what happens in this unit is beyond the psychological testing, beyond the separation from the outside world that has ignored them and separated them from productive people. Who consider them dispensable. Bonds are made and when the truly unthinkable, the highly improbable happens, Dorrit must make a choice that would be beyond the ability of most women.
This truly remarkable book hold you from beginning to end and is highly recommended for both the thought provoking read and for book group discussions.
Helpful Score: 2
(NOTE: I am a volunteer reviewer for newly published books. You may see my reviews posted on multiple websites, but it is my review, and I am posting it here as well.)
"The Unit" is a thought-provoking, and beautifully written debut novel for Swedish author Ninni Holmqvist. Dorrit Weger, upon turning 50, checks into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. Because she has no children, no spouse or lover with whom she households, and no job in a progressive industry, she is deemed dispensable by the government. She is not a needed one.
Set in the not-too-distant future, "The Unit" takes us through the progress of the dispensable--women over 50 and men over 60, who meet these criteria. They live in relative luxury; the Second Reserve Bank Unit is a picturesque complex where it is always spring and restaurants, shops, and fitness centers are all free. In exchange, residents undergo humane drug and physical testing, minor organ and tissue donation, and eventually, a final donation. Residents are quick to form friendships and relationships, and we follow Dorrit through her initiation and subsequent struggle in coming to terms with her own self-worth, and the eventual loss of those with whom she has grown close. When Dorrit learns that she is pregnant, she is faced with a loss that she cannot imagine and is presented with an opportunity to escape. Because the compound is under constant surveillance, Dorrit must act quickly and decisively when the opportunity arises, and the reader is taken on an unexpected journey.
As Holmqvist explores the mandatory government program through the eyes of participants, one is tempted to drink the Kool-Aid and entertain the thought that human life could be exchanged in an economy where one's value is measurable. How easy would it be to walk away from financial obligations, the stress of unemployment, or housing woes, especially if there is no one to share the burden with you? This concept is not cut and dried, and Holmqvist deftly moves the reader through stages of resentment, acceptance, denial, peace, and grief in such a way that the concept is momentarily considered as a possibility. This highly discussable book would be an excellent choice for a book club.
"The Unit" is a thought-provoking, and beautifully written debut novel for Swedish author Ninni Holmqvist. Dorrit Weger, upon turning 50, checks into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. Because she has no children, no spouse or lover with whom she households, and no job in a progressive industry, she is deemed dispensable by the government. She is not a needed one.
Set in the not-too-distant future, "The Unit" takes us through the progress of the dispensable--women over 50 and men over 60, who meet these criteria. They live in relative luxury; the Second Reserve Bank Unit is a picturesque complex where it is always spring and restaurants, shops, and fitness centers are all free. In exchange, residents undergo humane drug and physical testing, minor organ and tissue donation, and eventually, a final donation. Residents are quick to form friendships and relationships, and we follow Dorrit through her initiation and subsequent struggle in coming to terms with her own self-worth, and the eventual loss of those with whom she has grown close. When Dorrit learns that she is pregnant, she is faced with a loss that she cannot imagine and is presented with an opportunity to escape. Because the compound is under constant surveillance, Dorrit must act quickly and decisively when the opportunity arises, and the reader is taken on an unexpected journey.
As Holmqvist explores the mandatory government program through the eyes of participants, one is tempted to drink the Kool-Aid and entertain the thought that human life could be exchanged in an economy where one's value is measurable. How easy would it be to walk away from financial obligations, the stress of unemployment, or housing woes, especially if there is no one to share the burden with you? This concept is not cut and dried, and Holmqvist deftly moves the reader through stages of resentment, acceptance, denial, peace, and grief in such a way that the concept is momentarily considered as a possibility. This highly discussable book would be an excellent choice for a book club.
Helpful Score: 1
WoW I read this book in one day. It was amazing, it made me pause to take in passages. Sad, and plausible.
Helpful Score: 1
A disturbing book that leads you to take a hard look at relationships and quality of life. It is thought provoking and I have several lively discussions about the topic since I finished it....less than 24 hours ago.
