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Looking for The Measure book club questions for your next reading group meeting? Here are 15 thought-provoking discussion questions to get you guys going!
The Measure is an explosive novel that asks the question: what would happen if everyone knew, roughly, when they were going to die?
This is Nikki Erlick‘s debut novel. It follows a series of characters grappling with the fallout of the arrival of mysterious boxes, which contain the rough lifespan of every person on Earth. From struggling couples to exhausted doctors to ruthless politicians, the meaning of life comes into sharp focus for every character.
It’s an excellent choice for a book club and brings up some moral problems you can get stuck into. If this is your group’s next pick, here are a few book club questions for The Measure that you might want to explore.
15 Book Club Questions for The Measure
1 The book opens in a pretty dramatic way: every person on Earth is delivered a box, etched with the message ‘The measure of your life lies within.’
Inside the box is a string, and the length of the string represents the length of your life, which changes everything. ‘The new world came into focus: a garden in which many inhabitants had eaten the apple, while the rest remained too scared to bite.’
To kick off with a big question: would you open your box, or would you keep it closed?
2Governments across the world attempt to figure out where the strings came from, but to no avail. The story focuses more on the human impact of the strings, rather than their origin.
Do you have any theories on where the strings came from? Did it matter to you that the answer isn’t given in the book?
3The strings have an immediate and dramatic impact on society. Short stringers, in desperation, rush into hospitals demanding tests, while some long stringers become wild and reckless with the knowledge that they can take more risks.
How would you react if you found a short string in your box? And how would you react if you found a long string?
4Nina and Maura are a couple divided by their string length: Nina’s string is long, while Maura doesn’t have much time left. Almost immediately, the difference becomes an obstacle in their relationship. Nina worries, while Maura feels that Nina doesn’t understand how she feels. Ultimately, they have a beautiful ending together.
What did you think of the way Nina and Maura reacted to their strings? What helped them come to terms with it?
5Some governments decide to ban their residents from opening the boxes, while others demand that citizens have to open and report the results to the government. The political fallout is a central theme of the novel, causing both tension and opportunity.
What approach do you think is best? Making residents open their boxes, or forbidding them to do so?
6Hopeful presidential candidate Anthony and his wife, Katherine, are confident that their long strings will allow them to succeed in politics. In fact, this becomes their platform.
What did you think of these characters? Do you think real-life politicians would use the strings for their own gain?
7The book leans into the political side of the string situation, looking at the fallout from different angles.
Did you like this aspect of the book? Would you have preferred it to be more about the emotional fallout, rather than the global response?
8Quickly, a divide appears: long stringers and short stringers. Those with short strings start to experience discrimination, including being barred from holding positions of power. A revolution begins to form as short-stringers and long-stringers unite to protest.
What did you think of this theme of discrimination? How does the response compare to acts of protest in real life?
9Two Army friends, Javier and Jack, decide to switch strings. This allows Javier to fight on the frontline, while Jack gets to go off and live a quieter life.
What motivated them to switch places? Would you have switched places if you were in their position?
(10) Claire, Ben’s boyfriend, looks in his box without his permission. This upsets Ben, and ultimately leads to their break-up.
Do you think families, friends, and loved ones have the right to know each other’s string length, or do they have the right to privacy?
(11) The boxes have a big impact on families, particularly as they try to plan for their futures. Characters fall in love, and get married, despite knowing one of them won’t have as much time as the other.
Do you think knowing this information would be useful if you were planning a family or falling in love? Or do you think it’s better if you didn’t know?
(12) The characters make meaning with their lives, knowing their time is short, which is one of the book’s key messages: they get married, have children, become surrogates, and even sacrifice themselves for others.
How do you think people would learn to live with the strings? Do you think it would change people’s priorities knowing that time is short?
(13) Ben and Amie fall in love almost by accident; they stumble upon each other by writing letters and then meet through Ben and Maura’s short-string support group.
Did you enjoy Ben and Amie’s story? What did you think about the ending for them?
(14) We get to see the endings of each character at the end of the book.
How do you feel about this ending? Did you like finding out what happened, or would you have preferred some mystery?
(15) The premise of the book is a bold one, but the world Erlick writes about is very close to our own.
Ultimately, did it feel rooted in realism to you? Do you think it was an accurate depiction of what might happen in this situation?
The Measure is a brilliant choice for a book club, with some complex themes. It’s an interesting depiction of how society as a whole might respond to such a strange event, as well as a more emotional look at individuals and the impact on family life. Which definitely leads to an interesting book club discussion!
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Megan Bidmead
Guest writer
Megan is a freelance writer based in Somerset, England. When she’s not writing about books, video games, and pop culture, she’s running around after her two kids and trying to squeeze in the occasional walk in the countryside.
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