the measure a novel book review

The Measure

Nikki erlick.

353 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2022

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The Measure: What Happens At The End? + Summary

By: Author Luka

Posted on Last updated: August 14, 2024

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The Measure is Nikki Erlick’s debut novel, released in 2022 by William Morrow. It became a New York Times Bestseller and gained recognition as the Read with Jenna book club pick on The TODAY Show, as well as the Barnes and Noble Discover pick.

Erlick, with degrees from Harvard and Columbia, has a background as a travel writer and ghostwriter, with her work featured in publications like New York Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and Newsweek.

The book explores existential questions about measuring one’s life and delves into the societal, cultural, and political implications.

Summary | Ending Explained | Book Club Questions

The Measure Summary

One day, a mysterious wooden box appears at the doorstep of every person over 22 worldwide. Subsequently, everyone receives a similar box on their 21st birthday. Each box bears the message, “The measure of your life lies within,” along with a coil of string indicating the length of the recipient’s life. The novel follows the lives of various New Yorkers as they grapple with the lengths of their strings and the broader societal impact of this newfound knowledge.

Nina and Maura, a couple in New York, face a significant shift in their plans when they discover that Nina has a long string, while Maura’s is short. This revelation prompts them to reassess their future together. Maura attends a support group at the school where Nina’s sister, Amie, works, connecting with Ben, an architect dealing with a breakup due to his short string. In a therapeutic exercise, each group member is asked to express their feelings in a letter addressed to whomever they choose.

The following day, Amie discovers an anonymous letter in her classroom, presumably written during the support group meeting. Touched by the letter, she responds, initiating an anonymous exchange with Ben that lasts for several months. Amie deliberately avoids checking her own box, and their correspondence becomes a way for both to explore the profound questions raised by the mysterious strings.

While individuals grapple with the personal impact of the strings, governments globally are grappling with how to handle this phenomenon. In the United States, presidential candidate Anthony Rollins leads a task force that establishes the STAR Initiative. This initiative mandates that government officials and military personnel disclose their string lengths, with military assignments determined by string length. Short-stringed individuals are restricted from active duty due to the perceived risk of their death during service.

Jack Hunter, Anthony’s nephew, and Javier, his roommate and recent military academy graduates, face a dilemma. Despite Jack’s ambivalence toward a military career, Javier strongly desires it. Discovering that Javier has a short string and Jack has a long one, they decide to swap strings. Javier achieves his desired active-duty role, while Jack keeps his short string a secret, even from his family.

As Jack attends Anthony’s campaign events, Anthony uses Jack’s short string to deflect criticism of discrimination against short-stringed individuals. The negative perception of short-stringers intensifies due to a series of shootings, branding them as unstable and violent.

Upset with Jack for letting Anthony exploit his short string for political gain, Javier confronts him. In an effort to maintain their friendship, Jack takes a stand at one of Anthony’s events, publicly disapproving of his uncle’s anti-short-stringer stance. This marks a turning point against discrimination, and Jack and Javier reconcile at a New Year’s Eve party. However, Jack realizes he must do more to support Javier.

In the midst of their journeys, Nina and Maura plan a vacation to Italy. Maura entrusts Ben with her keys, allowing him to arrange a surprise for them. During this time, he meets Amie at their apartment, and after a series of dates, he realizes she is the one he has been corresponding with. When Ben confesses the truth about their connection and his short string, Amie briefly distances herself, grappling with the reality that their time together would be limited if they started a life together.

Nina and Maura, on the other hand, decide to take the next step in their relationship and get married. At their wedding, Amie and Ben reconnect and reaffirm their commitment to each other.

Tragedy strikes when Javier loses his life during a rescue mission. In response, Jack decides to publicly disclose their string-switching scheme. This action serves as a catalyst for dismantling the STAR Initiative and challenging institutionalized discrimination against those with short strings.

Almost a decade after the appearance of the mysterious boxes, Maura passes away. Ben and Amie, now married with two children, face a terminal illness diagnosis for Ben. Although prepared, a tragic car accident claims their lives one day after leaving the doctor’s office. Nina, who had not opened Amie’s box until then, discovers a short string. She adopts their children and, despite living in the suburbs, frequently visits the city to see a building Ben constructed and a bench in Central Park engraved by Amie.

Reflecting in the park, Nina observes a shift in attitudes towards short-stringers—now seen as resilient and courageous. She aspires to live her life with the same bravery and lack of fear characteristic of a short-stringer.

The Measure Ending Explained

First, Amie undergoes a significant change at Nina’s wedding. While dancing with Ben, she envisions their future together, including the possibility of losing him, which overwhelms her. However, a moment of clarity comes when she steps outside and hears a man on a bicycle playing a familiar tune. This connects to her correspondence with Ben and helps her realize that finding happiness means being willing to face potential pain.

In Part 6, titled “Spring,” Amie’s character arc concludes. Despite lingering worries about her courage to be with Ben, she is determined to cherish their time together. The author, Erlick, emphasizes Amie’s commitment when she revisits the Van Woolsey building, a symbol of her past dreams.

During this scene, Amie looks into the building’s courtyard, finding it beautiful but empty. She understands that her future is not there anymore and lets go of the fantasy. Unlike before, when Amie romanticized everything, she now embraces a practical outlook on her limited time with Ben and wonders about her future. This shift is a result of clear vision, acceptance, and a willingness to find happiness in the present rather than in an unrealistic future fantasy.

Likewise, Jack’s story wraps up in these last parts. At a New Year’s Eve party, he gets a chance to reconnect with Javier and recommits to making amends. Even after Javier’s passing, Jack uses Javier’s letter to expose the unfair treatment of short-stringers, making Javier part of his activism. Jack’s tale comes full circle when he meets someone Javier saved during his last mission. She helps Jack see that the length of someone’s string is about how they contribute to the world.

Although Jack and Javier couldn’t choose their string length, Jack decided to switch strings to support Javier’s military dreams. Despite being used in politics, Jack later chose to risk losing his family to do right by his friend. Jack’s life reflects the main theme: People can’t control fate, but they can control how they respond to challenges.

After a year, the strange appearance of the strings has become a normal part of life. People adjusted, seeing the strings as just another thing in life. When Ben hears teenagers on the subway talking about TV shows related to long and short strings, he realizes how quickly the world has adapted to this new way of life.

Lastly, as Nina reads the words on a bench in Central Park saying, “No matter what happens, I still feel the same” (345), we understand the message, but Nina doesn’t catch it, creating a kind of irony. These words originally came from Ben’s first letter to Amie, quoting a message from a soldier to his girlfriend. When we think about Amie and Ben’s relationship, especially with Ben’s short string, the message takes on a new meaning.

Interestingly, Amie never opened her box, so she didn’t know about her own short string or that her life would end when Ben’s did. Nina thinks that if Amie had known, she might have made different choices. The two lovely children Nina has now might not be around, and the life she loves wouldn’t be the same: “Maybe Amie’s choice not to look, not to know, gave both sisters the gift of these two precious souls” (345).

As the story ends, people’s views on short-stringers have changed. Initially seen as unstable and dangerous, they are now considered brave and purposeful. Nina points this out when she thinks about a new saying: “Live Like Your String is Short” (345).

In the final part of the novel, the theme of “Que Sera, Sera” comes back, finishing the story on a hopeful note. The man on the bicycle appears again, but he’s a bit tired, and the wheels turn slower. Despite this, the melody still plays as clearly as before. This picture of the man, tired but still going, reflects how people feel now. After getting used to the mysterious boxes and going through a lot, people may be tired, but they still stay hopeful.

Happy reading! ❤️

I love to read and I enjoy exploring a range of genres including contemporary and historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, nonfiction, and memoirs. If you would like me to review your book, feel free to reach out to me!

Review: The Measure

By Nikki Erlick ’17GSAS. 

What would you do if you knew how long you had to live? It’s hardly a novel question, but in her best-selling debut, The Measure , Nikki Erlick ’17GSAS offers a fresh perspective by examining not just the individual implications of destiny foretold but the societal ones as well.

Erlick is a graduate of Columbia’s MA program in global thought , an interdisciplinary degree that challenges students to consider world problems in unconventional ways, and her training is evident in this nuanced thought experiment. In Erlick’s imagined world, every adult (age twenty-two and older) wakes on an otherwise ordinary morning to find an engraved box on the doorstep containing a single string. “In San Francisco and São Paolo, in Johannesburg and Jaipur, in the Andes and the Amazon, there wasn’t anywhere, or anyone, that the boxes couldn’t find.”

Initially, no one knows what the strings mean, but it soon becomes clear that they indicate the length of the recipient’s life. There’s nothing forcing anyone to look inside the box, and some decide not to, but most bow to temptation. Quickly, society separates into factions: “long-stringers,” who have the security of knowing that they will live full lives, and “short-stringers,” who have a different fate.

Erlick narrates her book from alternating perspectives — some of her deftly drawn characters have long strings and some short — which gives her the space to explore the new kinds of personal decisions that people must make. When do you tell your parents that they will outlive you? How does dating work when your partner will die long before you will? Can a short-stringer decide in good conscience to have children?

But Erlick’s book really shines when she tackles the bigger picture, imagining the complicated societal issues that might arise in such a scenario. Long-stringed political candidates pressure their opponents to reveal their strings as they would their taxes. The military decrees that no short-stringers will be deployed, rendering combat units essentially immortal. Mass shootings become even more commonplace, with an uptick in angry people realizing that they have nothing to lose.

Two and a half years into a pandemic that has upended the way many of us think about mortality and how we spend our time on earth, The Measure seems perfectly timed. It offers both an intriguing lens through which to view our complicated, often broken society and a heartfelt story about a group of people discovering that they have plenty to live for, no matter how long that life will be.

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11 questions to consider after reading 'The Measure' by Nikki Erlick

"The Measure" is a book that is designed to be conversation-starting. The novel, written by Nikki Erlick, imagines what would happen if everyone had access to a life-changing piece of information: The length of their lives.

On a seemingly normal day in March, the population of the world wakes up to find a box with a string outside their doors. The string represents the "measure" of their lives, or the number of years they're fated to live.

"The Measure"

"It sounds ominous in many ways but actually, it is about love and how we choose to spend out days," Jenna said when announcing the book as the July 2022 pick. "I think it will make everyone feel immense gratitude for the beautiful little moments."

She added, "I know it sounds like a book about death but really it’s a book about how we choose to live."

Erlick provided 10 recommendations for books to read after "The Measure ." But while you're reading "The Measure," use these discussion questions to guide your experience or spark discussion with friends and family members after you're done.

• If the box from The Measure arrived on your doorstep, would you open it? Is there perhaps a particular age or moment in your life when you would be most inclined to view your string?
• Knowing the length of their string causes many characters to rethink their careers, their dreams, even their views on marriage and children. Some people quit their jobs and shutter their businesses; others travel to distant lands. How would knowing about your string—or not knowing about it — affect the way you lived your life?
• Ben initially feels conflicted over telling his parents about his string, while Javier chooses to hide the truth from his. Do you think family members have a right to know about each other’s strings?
• In today’s world, do you think the arrival of the strings would bring out the worst in people, or the best? Would you view the boxes as a gift or a curse?
• The world of The Measure feels familiar to our own, except for one powerful twist. What is the benefit of setting a novel in a slightly altered version of our world? In what ways did this fictional society’s reaction to the strings mirror the behavior of our own society? In what ways did it differ?
• Do you think any members in the public arena — such as doctors, employers, or government
• officials — should be able to know the length of someone’s string? Should short-stringers be able to publicly identify themselves in order to receive legal protections or government aid? Do you think political candidates should be able to use their strings during a campaign, like Anthony did?
• In the support group, Maura argues that, “We never should have allowed them to start labeling people as ‘long-stringers’ and ‘short-stringers.’” Do you agree with her? Do you think it would create more division or strengthen community in society?
• Nina worries that if Maura were to enter the hospital, she might face multiple biases as a Black woman and a short-stringer. How does the experience of short-stringers in the novel reflect any of the past or present injustices facing historically marginalized groups? How do they differ?
• Religion takes on varying degrees of importance in the characters’ lives. Javier is Catholic, Nihal is Hindu, and other characters aren’t observant. How do you think the arrival of the strings might impact a person’s religious devotion, or lack thereof?
• In the world of The Measure, people receive their boxes upon turning 22. Do you think that’s too young to be facing such a choice? Or should the choice be offered to people even younger?

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For more book recommendations, check out:

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Elena Nicolaou is a senior entertainment editor at Today.com, where she covers the latest in TV, pop culture, movies and all things streaming. Previously, she covered culture at Refinery29 and Oprah Daily. Her superpower is matching people up with the perfect book, which she does on her podcast, Blind Date With a Book.

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, the measure.

The arrival of mysterious boxes holding the “measure” of the recipient’s life upends the entire world in Nikki Erlick’s poignant, life-affirming debut, THE MEASURE.

On a morning like any other, every single person in the world over the age of 22 wakes up to find a personalized box on their doorstep, inscribed with the statement “The measure of your life lies within.” Some open the box and are greeted with long strings, others with short ones, and a significant portion of the population chooses to leave their box unopened, certain that what’s inside is a hoax or vicious prank. But after studying them in detail, scientists conclude that the strings do indeed reveal the measure of one’s life. Before long, they are able to calculate when every single person on Earth (over the age of 22) will die, down to about a two-year margin.

You might think that the strings themselves are the force driving the book’s plot. However, they are only the catalyst for the characters, a collection of eight very different people, each living with their own box and fate-telling string. Intelligent, fact-driven Nina is a perfect foil to her fun-loving girlfriend, Maura. They decide to leave their boxes closed, as Nina refuses to be swayed by anything not confirmed by science. But when the Department of Health reveals that the strings are accurate, they make the gut-wrenching decision to open the boxes, only to learn that one of their strings is half the length of the other’s. Their relationship immediately becomes defined by the promise of heartache.

"I doubt I will ever use the term 'life-affirming' when describing a novel again. No other book could ever measure up to what Erlick has done with this tender, original and gripping debut. I cannot think of a reader of any genre who would not find something to love in THE MEASURE."

Across New York City we meet Ben, a bright and charming architect whose life imploded as a result of his short string, but he refuses to bring his family down with the same knowledge; Hank, a doctor who has spent the entirety of his career under the delusion that he could fight death, only to learn that there is no winning; and Amie, Nina’s little sister, whose passion for literature encourages her to continue to live in the fantasy that her plot is still unfolding, string or not.

We also meet Anthony, a smarmy, snide and manipulative presidential candidate who sees in the strings a chance to stand out from his peers and capitalize on his country’s fear, rather than encouraging it to hope. Rounding out the cast is Anthony’s nephew, Jack, and his roommate and best friend, Javier. Both are army hopefuls whose dedication to their country stems from very different roots --- Jack’s in fear of disappointing his heralded family, Javier’s in his desire to give back to the country that afforded him his freedoms.

Next, we see the world’s response on a person-to-person level, with short-stringers either becoming angry or desperate for medical attention to find and prevent the fate with which they’ve been presented. Long-stringers, meanwhile, become reckless, assured that no matter what high-stakes stunt they attempt or drug they try, they will not die (though, in many cases, they will become gravely injured or disabled). Insurance companies claim that short-stringers are not worth the risk or cost of numerous medical tests or attention; loan officers deny short-stringers loans to buy homes and start businesses, claiming that they’re no longer a good investment; and employers, unwilling to pay high insurance premiums or train and retrain new employees, begin to include questions about the lengths of applicants’ strings on their job postings.

With each new slight, the short-stringers become more horrified, desperate and angry. And finally, as we have seen so many times before, they become violent. Inevitably, they are typecast in the news, media and pop culture as volatile and untrustworthy. Because the strings arrive during an election year, the country becomes even more divided and, thanks to Anthony, even more afraid.

Erlick brilliantly and incisively employs the science fiction of the string to play upon readers’ understanding of our own history and the present-day crises occurring in our country. If the outing, disenfranchising and harming of short-stringers don't bring to mind the discrimination and abuse of women, people of color, and queer and transgender individuals, then you’re missing the point. While having a tangible item makes THE MEASURE easy to follow and understand, it also makes the truth of our own world more jarring as it reflects some of the most insidious crimes and cruelties of our society.

Despite these and other poignant, heart-stopping revelations, THE MEASURE manages to strike a hopeful, heartfelt tone, highlighting not just the evils of the world, but also its jaw-dropping beauties. The characters are gorgeously, expertly rendered, each fully fleshed out and utterly alive. But what makes them so special is how Erlick carefully ties them together, weaving their stories in and out of one another’s so delicately that you have no awareness of her doing it until it’s too late and you’re already rooting for each and all of them. I was so taken by these characters that, for the first time since childhood, I felt the urge to flip ahead and see what happened to each of them.

I doubt I will ever use the term “life-affirming” when describing a novel again. No other book could ever measure up to what Erlick has done with this tender, original and gripping debut. I cannot think of a reader of any genre who would not find something to love in THE MEASURE. This irresistible novel will be a natural pick for book clubs everywhere, especially those who love the works of Jodi Picoult, Ann Hood, Mary Beth Keane and Cara Wall.

Reviewed by Rebecca Munro on July 8, 2022

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

• Publication Date: May 28, 2024
• Genres: Fiction , Magical Realism
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• ISBN-10: 0063204215
• ISBN-13: 9780063204218

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The measure : a novel

If you could find out how long you’re going to live, would you want to have that information? If you know that you’ll die in fourteen years, would you still marry or have children?  Would you tell your parents?

What if the person you’re dating snoops and breaks up with you upon discovering that your time is short? What if your employer requires that you disclose your life expectancy?

For the protagonists in Nikki Erlick’s novel, The Measure , these are not hypothetical questions. Each character, as well as every adult throughout the world, receives a small box inscribed with words written in their own language: “The measure of your life lies within.”

Some individuals open their box without hesitation, perhaps regretting that decision later. Others tuck their box away in a closet, never opening it. Those who attempt to burn their box find that the containers are indestructible.

The boxes contain a single string of varying lengths. People are alarmed and perplexed. National and religious leaders weigh in. So do financial and medical experts.

When researchers determine that the length of the string indicates how long the recipient will live, not everyone subscribes to this theory. Not everyone behaves ethically. One country implements policies that others would call draconian.

Some of Erlick’s characters lie about their string status, both for altruistic reasons, and simply out of fear. A political candidate who knows he will live long corners his opponents, insisting that they disclose the length of their string.

Bucket list choices are made ranging from travel, to dedicating oneself to a worthwhile cause, to creating works of art. An individual with a long string strives to stand by her partner whose life will be shorter. Not everyone has that ability.

While the title,  The Measure, refers to the length of the strings and the duration of life, the word also applies to Erlick’s writing itself.  She brings together characters whose lives and decisions impact one another in unexpected yet plausible ways.  She tackles grief, fulfillment, kindness, heartlessness, and worry, without overwhelming or overindulging the reader. This first-time novelist expertly constructs a story with just the right measure of alienation and belonging, unity and divisiveness. This is a welcome literary work during these contentiousness times.  

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Book summary and reviews of The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Measure

by Nikki Erlick

• Genre: Literary Fiction
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About this book

Book summary.

A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, 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? As society comes together and pulls apart, 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? The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn't have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything. Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

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"Narrator Julia Whelan's placid tone is enchanting and sincere, drawing listeners into the character-driven narrative, and her steady pace will contrast and compound their urgent need to know what comes next. The original and inspiring premise will appeal to listeners seeking magical realism blended with uplifting, emotionally intense literary fiction. Recommended for fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Chloe Benjamin." — Library Journal (starred review) "[P]redictable...Still, the scenes of grief and love are poignant. There's plenty of drama, but overall, it's a bit too anodyne." — Publishers Weekly "Perfect for book clubs, Erlick's The Measure is equal parts charming and thought-provoking. It takes a philosophical question—what if everybody on earth knew exactly how long they had left to live?—and explores, with compassion and pragmatism, how the implications would trickle down into every area of modern life, from politics to intimacy." — Marie Claire "Despite its chilling premise, Erlick's novel is an escape from—rather than a window into—our own terrifying reality." — New York Times "I doubt I will ever use the term 'life-affirming' when describing a novel again. No other book could ever measure up to what Erlick has done with this tender, original and gripping debut. I cannot think of a reader of any genre who would not find something to love in The Measure ." — Bookreporter.com " The Measure is an utterly original and hugely compelling story, which drew me in from the very first page with its beautiful writing. Weeks after reading it, I'm still thinking about this smart, uplifting novel and its wonderful characters." —Freya Sampson, author of The Last Chance Library "Nikki Erlick has created an irresistible hook about a question that everyone asks but no-one ever wants to answer. With thoughtful and compelling detail, she crafts a strange—and strangely familiar—world full of new moral and political conundrums. And while the novel is full of ideas, The Measure has a strong emotional heart—with an array of characters exploring their frightening, but sometimes beautiful new worlds. Ultimately, The Measure is about the power of human resilience, a new world where people get to choose their own kind of freedom." —Luke Allnutt, author of We Own the Sky

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Author Information

Nikki erlick.

Nikki Erlick is a writer and editor whose work has appeared online with New York Magazine , Harper's Bazaar , Newsweek , Cosmopolitan , Indagare Travel , The Huffington Post , and Vox . She has a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree from Columbia University. The Measure is her debut novel.

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The Magazine of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Field

Alexandra Pierce Reviews The Measure by Nikki Erlick

By the middle of 2020 I was wondering what novels could possibly look like in the future. Would they all be set in 2019? Would they all be alternate history? What sort of themes would be prevalent? John Scalzi’s The Kaiju Preservation Society (2022) was probably the first novel written entirely during COVID that I came across, and pointed to a way COVID could be reflected in fiction. In a very different way, Nikki Erlick’s debut also seems to reflect these times. COVID doesn’t exist, but it’s definitely a novel that reflects on the issues thrown up by the pandemic and those highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Imagine if, one morning, everyone over the age of 22 woke to discover a small box in front of their door (or equivalent, for the unhoused or those out camping). These boxes are all identical save for two things: the name of the person inscribed on it, and the length of the contents. For inside is a piece of string, the length of which varies from person to person. It is eventually recognized that the string’s length appears to correlate with the length of time each person will live, which seems to agree with the inscription on each box: The measure of your life lies within . This is the central conceit of The Measure , and Erlick traces some consequences of the boxes and strings through the lives of several Americans, over a period of 12 months. From the start the boxes have an impact – not least because their provenance is completely unknown (and remains so: a strength of the novel) – as flights are grounded, accusations are thrown, hysteria and panic develop. Then, relatively quickly, life returns to a “new normal,” as people adjust to the new knowledge (or refuse to look, and deal with that deliberate uncertainty). While the source is very different, this progression is one of the aspects that strongly reminded me of the early responses to COVID. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but it’s one that’s impossible not to see.

Erlick does a good job of exploring some of the consequences of short and long strings at a society level: for instance, should being a “short-stringer” prevent someone from holding office, or being in the military? Should the government have the right to know the length of a citizen’s string? The suggested answers reflect the ways prejudice and scapegoating already manifest, with politicians and ordinary citizens discussing how such things can be justified, and implemented, and also fought against. The speed at which “A short string drove them crazy!” becomes an appropriate excuse, or a convenient explanation, for acts of violence is both terrifying and completely believable.

While the big questions are important, it’s the in­dividual stories that I found most compelling. The novel’s epigraph – “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – from Mary Oliver’s poem “The Summer Day,” gives a sense of what Erlick is grappling with. Do you want to know that your life will be short, and therefore strive to make the most of it? If you will have a long life, do you take wild risks (knowing that a long string doesn’t guarantee free of pain, injury, or disease)? Nina and Maura have strings of very differ­ent lengths: what should, or could, that mean for their relationship? Nina’s sis­ter Amie refuses to look at hers; is she being wilfully ignorant, or making an appropriate choice? And as a teacher, does she have the right to discuss such issues with her students? (As a teacher myself, this one struck particularly hard.) Ben’s option to choose is taken away, and is confronted with a short string: what does this mean for eventually starting a family? The novel follows each of these characters (and a few more) as they navigate a world that’s still the same world – it’s not like the strings change the length of their lives – but is clearly a very differ­ent place to live.

The Measure is set entirely in the USA, which necessarily impacts on the stories that can be told; and even within the context of the United States, it’s a relatively narrow set of perspectives that are presented. In Australia, for instance, our universal healthcare system would make that a very different issue from what it is in the USA; countries with different histories regarding issues of privacy, or attitudes towards familial structure, would likely respond differently. (This difference is touched on briefly, for example with North Korea requiring all boxes to be turned over to the government.) Even with this caveat, though, The Measure tells a powerful story – and one that should spark conversations about both individual and collec­tive priorities.

Alexandra Pierce reads, writes, podcasts, cooks and knits; she’s Australian and a feminist. She was a host of the Hugo Award winning podcast Galactic Suburbia for a decade; her new podcast is all about indie bookshops and is called Paper Defiance. Alex has edited two award-winning non-fiction anthologies,  Letters to Tiptree  and  Luminscent Threads: Connections to Octavia E Butler . She reviews a wide range of books at  www.randomalex.net .

This review and more like it in the January 2023 issue of Locus .

©Locus Magazine. Copyrighted material may not be republished without permission of LSFF.

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The Measure Summary, Themes And Review

“ The Measure ” by Nikki Erlick is a speculative novel exploring a world in which every person over the age of 21 receives a box with a string that represents the length of their life. What follows next is a gripping journey as individuals grapple with the knowledge of their impending mortality and the choices they make. 

Join me in this journey as I summarize the book for you, followed by my detailed review and lessons I learned along the way.

And in case you want to jump directly into the questions, we have an exclusive list of some amazingly detailed The Measure Book Club Questions .

Otherwise, you can read the review first.

The Measure Summary 

The narrative follows multiple characters in New York City as they grapple with the implications of their own strings and navigate their lives and relationships in light of this new knowledge. 

The characters range from romantic partners, who face differing lifespans, to a woman who engages in a profound anonymous correspondence, and a military recruit whose string length affects his career prospects.

The book also touches upon social and political ramifications of the strings. 

A presidential candidate capitalizes on the public’s fear and the changing social dynamics, pushing for a controversial legislation that demands government and military officials to reveal their string lengths. 

The narrative thus wrestles with individual and collective questions of morality, identity, discrimination , and the value of life in a world where lifespan is no longer a mystery .

Overall, “ The Measure ” presents a world that is compelled to confront mortality and life’s meaning in a profoundly altered way.  

It portrays an array of human responses to the certainty of life’s length – fear, courage, denial, acceptance, and the power of love, friendship, and resilience in the face of looming mortality . 

The novel is a powerful exploration of what it means to live knowing exactly how long one has left, and how society changes when everyone shares this knowledge.

Also Read: Hello Beautiful Summary And Review

The Measure Review

“ The Measure ” by Nikki Erlick is a brilliantly conceived novel that pulled me from a seemingly ordinary world, irrevocably changed by the appearance of mysterious wooden boxes. 

I found the novel to be an evocative exploration of life, mortality, societal constructs, and human reactions to inevitable fate.

The novel follows a diverse group of characters , each grappling with their lengths of strings – the measure of their lives. The protagonist Nina and her partner Maura are the first characters we meet. 

When Maura finds her string is short and Nina’s is long, their lives take a sharp turn . I was deeply moved by their struggle and admired how they faced their fears head-on. The development of their relationship serves as a stark reminder of the importance of cherishing every moment.

One particular subplot that left a deep impression on me was the correspondence between Amie and Ben , two characters who had never met before. 

Through their letters, they delve into philosophical discussions and explore their fears and hopes. The anonymity of their relationship allows for a raw, honest exploration of their thoughts . Erlick masterfully crafts their dialogue, making their connection feel genuine and affecting.

The political plotline, headed by presidential hopeful Anthony Rollins, was especially riveting. The establishment of the STAR Initiative , which bases job assignments and appointments on one’s string length, makes for a compelling commentary on discrimination and societal control. The storyline of Anthony’s nephew, Jack, and his friend, Javier, adds a compelling dimension to the narrative. 

Their act of switching strings to subvert the system is both heartbreaking and powerful, reflecting the lengths individuals will go to for their aspirations and friendships.

The novel ends with a profound note, showing how societal perceptions of short-stringers have changed over the years . The tragic deaths of Ben and Amie serve as a reminder of the unpredictability of life, regardless of our perceived measures.

Erlick’s writing style is fluid and engaging , which makes the heavy subject matter digestible. She weaves threads of love, friendship, sacrifice, and courage into the narrative, painting a rich collection of human emotions . 

The characters are well-rounded, with their imperfections making them relatable and real.

In conclusion, “ The Measure ” is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of an existential crisis. Despite the boxes’ morbid symbolism, the novel is ultimately uplifting, showcasing the potential for courage, love, and resilience despite life’s unpredictable turns . 

This book offers a unique perspective on life, encouraging us readers to live fully in the present. A must-read for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking, character-driven narratives.

Also Read: It Ends With Us by Summary And Review

1. The Implications of Foreknowledge

Nikki Erlick explores the profound implications of foreknowledge, specifically knowing the length of one’s life. This notion raises questions about how such knowledge would influence our actions, relationships, and societal structures. 

For example, when Nina and Maura discover their divergent string lengths, their futures together become uncertain, altering their relationship dynamics. 

Similarly, on a societal level , the foreknowledge provided by the strings leads to the creation of the STAR Initiative , which significantly impacts career trajectories and contributes to discrimination. 

This theme invites us to reflect on the value of uncertainty in life and the potential repercussions of knowing too much about our future.

2. Discrimination and Stigmatization

Erlick’s novel also delves into how societies react to perceived differences, leading to discrimination and stigma. 

This is evident in the discrimination faced by short-stringers who are seen as unstable and violent following a series of shootings. Additionally, the implementation of the STAR Initiative which forces government officials and military personnel to disclose their string lengths, further intensifies the discrimination. 

This discrimination is challenged when Jack publically discloses his string-switching scheme with Javier , leading to the dismantling of the STAR Initiative. 

The novel thus draws attention to the destructive nature of discrimination and the courage required to challenge unjust societal norms.

3. The Value of Courage in the Face of Mortality

The characters’ responses to their strings reveal the importance of courage in the face of mortality. 

Maura, who has a short string, decides to live her life to the fullest, going on a vacation with Nina, and eventually getting married. Ben, despite his short string, pursues a relationship with Amie and starts a family. Even Jack, who initially switches strings to avoid facing a short life, later embraces his reality and takes brave steps to dismantle the discriminatory system. 

In the end, Nina admires the courage of short-stringers and aspires to live her life as bravely as they have. 

This underscores the novel’s message that courage and acceptance in the face of mortality can lead to a fulfilling life.

Final Thoughts

If you’re interested in speculative fiction that explores deep philosophical questions about life, mortality, relationships, and societal dynamics, then The Measure could be a great read for you. 

For those who like character-driven stories, this book also offers multiple interconnected narratives, providing different perspectives on the main premise.

Not for those who are more on the side of books that delve more into life’ philosophy . 

Read our other summaries

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Review: The Measure by Nikki Erlick

• September 13, 2022
• 4 minute read

This review contains affiliate links. That means I receive a small commission to no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links

The measure by nikki erlick.

• Publisher : William Morrow & Company < HarperCollins
• Genre : Fiction < Literary Fiction
• Audience : Adult
• Pages : 368 (hardcover)

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice. It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, 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? As society comes together and pulls apart, 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? The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

“That the beginning and the end may have been chosen for us, the string already spun, but the middle had always been left undetermined, to be woven and shaped by us” the measure

The Measure is marketed as the perfect fiction read for fans of The Midnight Library and The Immortalists.

I’m not sure about it being compared to The Midnight Library in terms of enjoyability—I liked TML a lot less than I liked this—but they definitely got the introspective “knowing what you now know, is it worth it to live on or not?” part right.

That being said, the comparison to The Immortalists was 100% spot on, and I stand with that. In order to reach further and recommend this to other readers who don’t necessarily read outside a fantasy/YA bubble, I might even say this is a potentially enjoyable read for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, or Under the Whispering Door.

Though for readers who find they enjoy books with similar writing styles rather than similar plot premises, I would recommend this to fans of How High We Go in the Dark—In both, there are multiple POVs that play off one another’s themes and interweave in both subtle and more obvious ways.

The Measure is a work of speculative fiction, or perhaps magical realism even, that explores a reality in which one day, billions of boxes float down from the sky, containing a length of string. 

This string measures the length of the recipient’s life, and is soon proven to be incredibly, shockingly—and for some, devastatingly—accurate. From there on, on the day of someone’s 22nd birthday, they would receive their box from the same unknown source. Afterwards, fear and panic plagued society. Two separate classes emerged: shortstringers and longstringers.

For everyone, the simple right to privacy is discussed at length, and disregarded in terms of whether to disclose strings or not. For short stringers, many of their rights and freedoms were stripped, and discrimination made the remainder of their lives difficult to bear.

When I first picked this book up, I wasn’t quite sure what I expected. 

Even though I liked The Immortalists, I didn’t absolutely love it. And as for The Midnight Library, I really didn’t like that. Naturally, I had reservations, but even after finishing the first chapter, all those reservations vanished. Completely. I was hooked, and from there, I couldn’t stop. I read it from start to finish in a span of a couple hours.

This is not for anyone looking for a lighthearted and fluffy read. 

This will make you tear up—perhaps even sob. This book also includes graphic, traumatic, and anxiety-inducing content that might be hard for a portion of readers: mass shootings, discrimination, deaths by a good number of various incidents, depression, suicide, etc. It’s a difficult read, but it certainly makes you feel a lot. 

The characters, though there is a large cast explored in only 300-something pages, still felt very real and relatable. 

They each were unique, and easily recognizable from one another, which is necessary in a book that spans multiple POVs. The interweaving of storylines was entertaining and satisfying. The romance was limited, but no less striking. The emotional impact on the reader is still intense. And the tension is built beautifully, making the reading atmosphere both introspective, but also dreadful and almost terrifying a as the story builds to its climax.

At the heart of this story lies many questions. 

Say a box containing your string of life showed up at your doorstep: would you open it to find out, or would you keep it closed? If you opened it, you’d have to live with the knowledge—constantly fearing the day you know is coming, living your life in the shadow of that fear. If you kept it closed, you’d be free from that burden, but do you have the willpower not to look?

Furthermore, if you open the box, who are you obligated to tell? Friends, family? What rights does the government have to this information, and what might they do once they get ahold of it? Can they impose rules where only longstringers can serve in positions of high risk or high importance such as the military, police force, doctors, or president? Do you need to disclose your length of life on dating apps. Can you even morally have a child, or be legally allowed to adopt a child as a short stringer? What all will you become willing to do if you have the surety of knowing you’ll live a long life?

The Measure makes a perfect book club pick, as there’s lots of discussion to be had about the questions this novel poses. 

• Public Shooting
• Suicidal thoughts & ideation
• Discrimination
• Graphic content

OFFICIAL rating

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Would you look at your string, or would you prefer to leave it a mystery? How would you live your life if you knew you had a set-in-stone expiration date?

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The Measure by Nikki Erlick (Book Review by Stacey Lorenson)

Book Rating: 3.4

There has been a groundswell of conversation about The Measure by Nikki Erlick and I was excited to have the opportunity to read this novel. Erlick examines a series of societal concepts that question the meaning of life, or in this case, the measure of life. How does one measure the quality of life? Does the longevity of life have more meaning versus someone with a shorter life span? How does classism effect quality of life?

“But this is what humans have always done,” Maura said, her anger swelling inside. “We segment ourselves based on race or class or religion or whatever fucking distinctions we decide to make up, and we insist on treating each other differently” (p. 133). Erlick presents a utopian world where everyone twenty-two and over receives a box that contains a string denoting a persons’ life span. This sends people, worldwide, into a panic of life altering decisions.

The author offers a panacea of problems utilizing a non-threatening piece of string symbolizing oppression, containment, political maneuvering, personal, professional, and societal restrictions. Erlick bestows readers an opportunity to reexamine marginalization by presenting common societal issues in emotionally relatable prose. In doing so the reader is free to reinterpret societal and political misdeeds that apply to today’s realm. I would have preferred Erlick approach these multi-leveled themes with an incomparable perspective of systemic behaviors. Instead, the author stated and restated the obvious throughout. However, the impassioned discussions stimulated by The Measure will be this provocative novel’s true measure of accomplishment.

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The book was painfully uneventful, repetitive and slow. Great concept but horribly slow.

Thank you for your thoughts. I didn’t care for the book. I didn’t care about the story, or the characters. There is not any emotional story to any of the characters. I didn’t care what happened to them. The story felt like there wasn’t any depth to any of the characters. The book felt like a religious, social, political woes of the world. Too many parallels to our current world. Liked the concept which was different. Everyone is sent a box, either short or long. It felt like how the US is divided. Enough!

Thank you for saying this! My book club loved this book. Meanwhile I was offended by her judgmental political attitude about the general public that head judgmental political opinions! I HATE that this was a bestseller! Please don’t lecture ME as you appear to live quite the privileged liberal life!

The measure was a very thought provoking book. It really gets you thinking about your life. It is a must read

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January 2024 Book Review | 'The Measure'

Author Nikki Erlick’s debut novel “The Measure” is an intriguing story about fate and how it weaves together eight ordinary people who need to make extraordinary choices.

What makes a novel great for me is when it has an engaging cast of characters, some unpredictable twists and turns and a story so intriguing it captures my imagination. The author must bring me into the story and keep me thinking about it long after the last page. I also find myself recommending it to all my reading friends. Nikki Erlick’s debut novel “The Measure” is one of those great books.

I promise not to make any spoilers because this type of book is more effective when it can take you by surprise, but I have to set up the premise because it is such a good one. It reminds me of an old episode of “The Twilight Zone.” Besides that, the power of the story is not in the “event” but in the reactions of the people to the event.

One morning, all over the world, every person 22 years of age or older, is presented with a mysterious box. On the outside of the box, in the recipients’ native language, is an inscription that reads, “The measure of your life lies within.”

Some people throw the box away. Some refuse to open it but tuck it away for safe keeping. Those who open it, find a single string.

Scientists and data gatherers around the world eventually determine that the varying lengths of string signify the length of each person’s life. It is their fate and cannot be controlled. However, each person can control whether or not to know their fate and determine how that knowledge will affect their life going forward.

The experience is worldwide, but we meet eight specific people and learn how each deal with the box. Of course, the decision one person makes can affect the lives of many.

Erlick says her story was inspired by two Greek myths. The most obvious is Pandora and her box. The other myth is that of the three Fates: Clotho, who spun the thread of human fate, Lachesis, who dispensed it and Atropos, who cut each thread to determine the length of someone’s life.

If you were gifted a box like this, would you open it? “The Measure” by Nikki Erlick can be found in our local libraries. For KPCW this is Barb Bretz.

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The Measure: A Novel by Nikki Erlick

"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager

Introduction

A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, 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?

As society comes together and pulls apart, 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?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting, The Measure is a sweeping, ambitious, and invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

Editorial Review

Discussion questions, notes from the author to the bookclub, book club recommendations.

Recommended to book clubs by 2 of 2 members.

Member Reviews

Would you want to know how long your life will be when you're 21? That's the core question of this highly original novel where boxes are delivered to each person over 21. We're talking every... (read more)

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‘The Measure’ Is ‘Today’ Book Club Pick

BY Michael Schaub • June 27, 2022

Nikki Erlick’s The Measure is the latest pick for Jenna Bush Hager’s Today show book club.

Erlick’s novel, published Tuesday by William Morrow, imagines a day on which every person in the world receives a small wooden box containing a string indicating the number of years they’ll live. The book focuses on eight people who must decide whether they want to know what their lifespans will be.

Hager said the book moved her to tears while she was reading it on an airplane.

“It is a beautiful book that you may need a Kleenex for,” she said. “I think people thought I needed serious help.”

Hager noted that Erlick’s novel “sounds ominous” but is actually “about love and how we choose to spend our days.”

“I think it will make everyone feel immense gratitude for the beautiful little moments,” she said. “After my husband and I read it, we had a long conversation about our life. I think it will lead people to really think about how they live. I know it sounds like a book about death but really it’s a book about how we choose to live.”

Erlick reacted to her book’s selection on Instagram, writing, “I still can’t believe this is real…My heart is bursting!! Thank you so much @jennabhager and @todayshow! I’m over-the-moon and incredibly grateful to be this month’s @readwithjenna pick!”

Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.

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The Nearly Impossible Task of Describing Pain

Garth Greenwell’s latest novel finds the language to capture the ineffable human experience of serious illness.

As Emily Dickinson once wrote, pain places the sufferer in an “infinite” present tense: “It has no future but itself.” In “ Pain Has an Element of Blank ,” Dickinson pinpoints the absence of words, failure of description, and defeat of language that often accompany serious injury or illness. After all, pain demands the kinds of human expression that are the most spontaneous and the least composed: grunts, cries, pleas for help.

Yet writers in every medium try again and again to assign words to the experience. Garth Greenwell is unafraid to depict plainly what often goes unspoken, and his third novel, Small Rain , makes glorious progress toward filling in Dickinson’s blank. Its subject is the sudden onset of debilitating agony amid a life-threatening sickness. The story, with the exception of a brief coda, takes place in the terrifying realm that Susan Sontag called “the kingdom of the ill.” For the unnamed protagonist, who is a writer and teacher , this kingdom is a hospital in Iowa City. He has suffered an infrarenal aortic dissection, in which “part of the inner wall of the artery has detached.” The plot ostensibly depends on tracing the cause and prognosis of the disease: Why did it happen? And what will become of the narrator?

Greenwell chronicles, in realistic and copious detail, day-to-day care in a hospital: the numerous IV lines branching out from the narrator’s body, the torturous trips to the bathroom, the consultations with teams of doctors who can’t find a cause or cure. Long descriptive passages follow the narrator as he is wheeled down a hallway or cleaned by his nurse. These sections cast a spell over the reader even in the most clinical moments; Meghan O’Rourke described the novel as a “close reading” of the medical system .

Read: Seven books that actually capture what sickness is like

But Small Rain is not a critique of U.S. health care disguised as a novel. Its power, instead, comes from the dissonance between the terrifying condition of waiting for answers and the flights of imagination that this purgatory, paradoxically, sustains. Confined to and immobilized in his bed, the narrator finds thoughts crowding into the space left blank by the absence of work, errands, and social obligations: poignant memories of meeting his partner, L; traumatic images of the derecho that blows trees down onto their house; and, most unexpectedly, ecstatic reflections on lines of poetry.

In a novel about illness, art might seem beside the point. And yet, the sections of the book that struck me with the most force are its meditations on verse. The novel’s title, in fact, is borrowed from a 16th-century poem (written by an anonymous author) that I often teach in my introduction-to-literature class:

Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow The small rain down can rain Christ if my love were in my arms And I in my bed again

The speaker of this poem suffers: They endure the weather, romantic yearning, and whatever else has taken them away from contentment. But through rhythmic language, the poem anchors an overwhelming, chaotic emotion in the comfort of a contained form. In Small Rain , too, the narrator finds himself in extreme privation. Removed from the world of people, of work, of life with his loving partner, he has become—like the troubled voice in the poem—“a minuscule crouching thing, a bit of matter terribly afraid, utterly insignificant.”

Greenwell’s lyrical prose seems to take a cue from the work in which his narrator finds solace. He shows through the novel that pain, no matter how severe, needn’t shut out the possibilities of language. Even the unpleasant, often ugly experience of physical anguish can elevate and transform human forms of expression.

Throughout Small Rain , a consistency of cadence makes the novel feel like a cohesive whole—not unlike the recurring motif you might hear in a movement of a symphony. Inspiring acts of kindness and moments of mundane bureaucracy are depicted with the same tender attention. In one scene, after a fallen tree is removed from his house and an arborist preserves a ring of it, Greenwell writes, “I thanked her, it was thoughtful of her, a kindness.” Later, when he has to file an insurance claim for the damaged house, the narrator reflects on the “impenetrable language of house insurance or health insurance, language that made my head hurt, that made me feel stupid, I had always just pushed it aside.”

Where another writer might place a period, Greenwell uses a comma, creating an unfamiliar pattern by prolonging the sentence a little further than we might expect. I started to listen for this gentle deviation from speech, this poetic extension of a thought. The rise and fall from comma to comma, the full stop in a period: In the face of uncertainty, of not knowing when the pain will end, Small Rain ’s sentences transform the clinical narration of a hospital stay into the soothing murmur of a prayer, or the steady sound of rain.

By the end of the novel, the main character has been released from the hospital. He’s gone home to have dinner with L and his sister. In the coda, he visits a nearby dog park, where he sees “pure life” in the heedless glee of romping rescue dogs. This section of the book punctures the cloistered, enclosed space of the single room. But the resolution of the story isn’t really the point of this novel. We never learn what caused the aortic tear, or what it will mean for the narrator’s future, only that he’ll need to return to the hospital at regular intervals for more scans.

Read: Hypochondria never dies

In the middle of the book, when his hope for release and recovery is at its nadir, the narrator thinks about another poem that reflects his own vulnerability in the figure of a small, fragile bird: “ Stranger’s Child ,” by George Oppen. In this short work, the poet writes about a sparrow, observing it closely in a “cobbled street,” as its feet touch “naked rock.” The narrator remembers teaching the poem to his students, urging them to notice how the poet focuses all of our attention on the bird on the pavement, if only for the time it takes to read the poem. Nothing else, for the moment, exists.

By narrowing its scope to the hospital room, Small Rain keeps its eye not on a sparrow but on a suffering human being. The solution that the novel proposes to Dickinson’s dilemma—how to write about pain when pain defies expression?—is not a stunned silence or an inarticulate cry of despair. The language for pain, instead, is that of poetry, which charges the words of a sentence with the force of beauty, turning chaos into consolation.

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Trump Isn’t the Only One H.R. McMaster Takes to Task in His New Book

H.R. McMaster’s At War With Ourselves , a memoir of his 13 months as Donald Trump’s national security adviser, has aroused much attention for its stinging criticism of the former (and, God help us, possibly future) president. But the publicity and TV interviews have been too narrowly focused. McMaster also takes dead aim at a vast cast of others who got in his way or disagreed with his views: Secretaries of Defense and State Jim Mattis and Rex Tillerson; Trump’s mischief-makers, Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus; his successor, John Bolton; White House chief of staff John Kelly; and, not least, Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

The hero of this well-written and entertaining tale is H.R. McMaster himself, and its grand theme is what a great shame it was that the president didn’t take his advice more often. It is an oddly presumptuous theme for a three-star general—a hero of both Iraq wars—who was, and is, more intellectual than most of his Army brethren but who had never worked in Washington or engaged in any policy issues outside the Middle East.

During the Iraq war, McMaster thoroughly studied the history and theory of counterinsurgency warfare , then applied his learnings as regiment commander in the province of Tal Afar with remarkable success. Entering Trump’s White House, he studied the guidebooks and protocols on the division of responsibilities between the national security adviser and the various Cabinet secretaries—and thought his mastery would once again guide him to dominance.

He never grasped—and still doesn’t, not completely anyway—the vast divide between theory and reality in the minefields of Washington politics.

McMaster led teams of talented analysts in the NSC staff to write impressive documents on geopolitics, a new approach to China, and other weighty matters. Trump, of course, never read them (few presidents peruse such documents); his bureaucratic rivalries had their own priorities, which he was ill-equipped to reconcile. A deputy warns him early on in his tenure that Washington is “nothing like your experience in the military.” Here, she warns, “friends stab you in the chest.”

McMaster does emerge from his adventure with shrewd insights into the commander in chief’s failures, and it is these insights that have (rightly) boosted the book’s appeal. For instance: “Trump’s ego and insecurities” left him vulnerable to “flattery,” a fact easily exploited by Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-il, the Saudi royal family, and his own lackeys, who viewed White House meetings as “exercises in competitive sycophancy,” where common phrases included “Your instincts are always right” and “You are the only one who,” which encouraged Trump to “stray from the topic at hand or to say something outlandish—like ‘Why don’t we just bomb the drugs’ in Mexico or ‘Why don’t we take out the whole North Korean army during one of their parades.’ ”

Trump’s “lack of historical knowledge” made him susceptible to Xi Jinping’s self-serving account of Beijing’s rights to the South China Sea. The “fragility of his ego and his deep sense of aggrievement” made it particularly easy for Putin to “play him like a fiddle.”

Still, McMaster saw his role as helping to execute the president’s policies—a role bolstered by his insistence on remaining an active-duty officer (who has a legal obligation to carry out the president’s legal orders). And in this sense, he misunderstood the hostility mounted against him and the president by Mattis and Tillerson.

Both men—Mattis a retired Marine four-star general, Tillerson a former Exxon CEO—were supremely self-confident. They both expected McMaster to roll over to their demands; McMaster resisted, thinking his job was to coordinate administration policy. Mattis was especially condescending toward McMaster, viewing the relationship as that of a four-star to a three-star—and, in military culture, the supremacy of a four-star over a three-star is enormous.

McMaster viewed their connivances as purely a competition for “control.” But much more was going on. As we now know—and knew to a large extent at the time — Mattis and Tillerson viewed Trump as a danger who needed to be contained. Mattis spent much time traveling abroad, downplaying Trump’s America-first ramblings, assuring allies that the United States will always have their back; some thought his title should have been “Secretary of Reassurance.”

McMaster complains in the book that Mattis “slow-rolled” Trump’s requests for “contingency planning on North Korea and Iran.” What he omits from his account is that Trump wanted contingency planning for a military strike on those two countries; they thought that he really wanted to initiate a strike and that slow-rolling the request would slow down his impulse toward war. When White House chief of staff John Kelly, another retired general, started joining the private meetings with Mattis and Tillerson, McMaster thought, “Tillerson and Mattis have gotten to him. ” But in fact, what Kelly got was the supreme danger of Trump. And the three men left McMaster out of their cabal because they knew—in part because he still wore the uniform—that he’d sworn to take Trump’s side. McMaster reveals that, at one point, Kelly told an aide to let him know whenever McMaster was meeting alone with Trump.

McMaster understands all this to some degree. “Tillerson and Mattis were not just confident in themselves,” he writes near the end of the book. “They often lacked confidence in a president they regarded as impulsive, erratic, and dangerous to the republic.”

In a particularly revealing passage, McMaster writes that Trump’s incitement of resurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, “might be invoked as an ex post facto justification for their [Mattis’ and Tillerson’s] behavior. But in August 2017, I was just trying to help the elected president set his course.” In fact, Jan. 6 can be seen as evidence that the two Cabinet secretaries were right—and that, by helping Trump set his course, McMaster was sharpening the danger.

Still, McMaster is correct that Mattis and Tillerson were incompetent plotters. “The more independent of the president and the White House they became,” he writes, “the less effective they would be.” And that is what happened. Tillerson was fired even before McMaster was (he was a terrible secretary of state who, among other things, put the interests of ExxonMobil above those of the United States, perhaps in part because he saw them as identical). Mattis was an insular defense secretary —he surrounded himself with fellow Marine officers, many of whom had served with him abroad—and had no idea how to deal either with the Pentagon’s civilians or with the people in the White House, whom he held in contempt, to his ultimate self-defeat.

It’s a shame: On the issues, Mattis and McMaster agreed on much. Had they worked together, they might have steered Trump in a more sustainably sensible direction. That they didn’t is more Mattis’ fault than McMaster’s. John Bolton had plenty of high-level bureaucratic experience; when he replaced McMaster at the White House, he shut Mattis out completely. (In a remarkable exchange in the book, which takes place when McMaster knew he was on the way out, he tells Mattis, “I hope you get John Bolton, because you deserve John Bolton.” A red-faced Mattis replies, “At ease, Lieutenant General”—“at ease” being a phrase that senior officers invoke to put subordinates in their place—“you can’t talk to me that way.”)

Still, in the book’s postscript, McMaster hopes “that young people who have persevered through these pages will conclude that, even under challenging circumstances, there are tremendous rewards associated with service under any administration.”

Alas, the case he presents for a rewarding experience, at least in the Trump administration, is flimsy. Earlier in the book, he notes, “Despite the frictions I was encountering,” he and his team “were helping Trump make sound decisions.” He cites as examples Trump’s “long-overdue correctives to unwise policies” toward China, Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Iran.

He makes something of a point on China, where the administration was fairly unified in dropping the long-standing hope—held, to some extent, by every president since Nixon—that engagement would lure Beijing into the Western-dominated global system. But Trump’s correctives—mainly levying tariffs and launching a trade war—had little effect other than to hurt American consumers.

On the other areas, McMaster’s boast rings hollow. On Russia, Trump caved to Putin at every opportunity. On North Korea, after McMaster’s departure, and to Bolton’s frustration, Trump commenced a bromance with Kim Jong-il, again to no effect. His reimposition of sanctions on Cuba—which Obama had started to lift—helped nothing. Scuttling the nuclear deal with Iran had no effect on Tehran’s mullahs, except to spur them to revive their uranium-enrichment program, which the deal had halted.

It is worth delving a bit into McMaster’s comments on Cuba and Iran because they reveal, despite his harsh critique of Trump, a deeply partisan analyst.

He states that Obama pursued a policy of “accommodating Iran,” which had the effect of strengthening Hezbollah. He avoids noting that Obama retained several sanctions having to do with Iran’s missile program and its ties to terrorist groups. Nor does he note that, under the nuclear deal, Iran was well on its way to dismantling its nuclear program under tight international inspections—until Trump scuttled the deal. As a result , Iran is now closer to building an atom bomb than it ever was. (McMaster, by the way, writes in agreement with Trump that the accord was “the worst deal ever.”)

He also writes that Biden would “resurrect the Obama policy of accommodating Iran”—and this is simply puzzling. Biden did not revive the Iran nuclear deal ( though I was among many who urged him to do so ), nor did he relax the sanctions against Iran that Trump reimposed. Biden has also helped Israel defend and retaliate against Iran’s attempted attacks. Where is the accommodation?

In another utterly mystifying (and uncharacteristically far-right) jeremiad, McMaster writes that Obama’s attempt to normalize relations with Cuba stemmed from a “New Left interpretation of history at America’s top universities, where students learned that the world is divided into oppressors and oppressed and that geopolitics is a choice between socialist revolution and servitude under ‘capitalist imperialism.’ ” This is ridiculous. Obama’s policy was driven by a realization that America’s half-century-long isolation of Cuba had done nothing to change the regime and was only hurting the tiny island’s people. McMaster also writes, “Obama, like Trump, evinced an unseemly affinity for authoritarians”—which is truly bizarre.

And so, while McMaster certainly won’t endorse Trump in the November elections or go work for him again (though there’s no chance, especially after this book, that he’d be asked), it’s also unlikely that he’ll endorse Kamala Harris. (He has said he’s not endorsing any candidate.)

One point of this book, I suspect, is rehabilitation. Back when he was an Army major, McMaster wrote a Ph.D. dissertation–turned–book called Dereliction of Duty , about how senior officers in the 1960s deliberately misled President Lyndon B. Johnson on the war in Vietnam, telling him what he wanted to hear rather than giving him their honest military advice, thus betraying their constitutional obligations.

A few months into his term in Trump’s White House, McMaster was ordered to go talk to the press about reports that, at a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump had revealed classified information to top Russian officials. McMaster recited a carefully written, very misleading script—a “non-denial denial.” One of his former colleagues told me at the time that the statement left him “heartbroken.” A fellow retired Army officer mused, “I wonder what title will be given to the book written about him .” I should add that, in the book, McMaster refers to the column I wrote at the time :

The journalist Fred Kaplan, who wrote an essay entitled “The Tarnishing of H.R. McMaster,” stated that I “had been all but incapable of guile” but was “now soaked in the swamp of deceit in the service of Trump.” I was more amused than offended at his hyperbolic criticism.

The book doesn’t come clean about what really happened; most readers, who won’t remember the incident, will be left confused.

Still, At War With Ourselves provides McMaster—now a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University—a chance to cut all ties with Trump, to point out the many times that he openly disagreed with Trump and tried to push Trump in the right direction, sometimes successfully. It’s an attempt to set the record straight and to fix for himself an honorable legacy, very different from that of the generals and admirals who abetted Lyndon Johnson’s horrors in Vietnam. In that, he has, for the most part, succeeded.

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Journal of Materials Chemistry A

Revisiting the ionic conductivity of solid oxide electrolytes: a technical review.

Oxygen-ionic and proton-conducting oxides are an important class of functional materials for their applications as electrolytes in various high-temperature electrochemical cells, including solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), proton ceramic fuel cells (PCFCs), and proton ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs). The electrolyte, as a heart of these cells, must meet a number of stringent requirements, among which its ionic conductivity is one of the most important parameters determining the possible applications in electrochemical devices and operating temperatures. In the present work, we provide a comparative analysis of the ionic conductivity for several classical electrolyte classes, such as stabilized/doped ZrO2, CeO2, LaGaO3, BaCeO3, BaZrO3, and Ba(Ce,Zr)O3. This analysis provides possible windows of conductivity variation and potential (common and specific) factors responsible for conductivity differences for the same materials and measurement conditions. In addition, the ionic conductivity is discussed not only for massive ceramic electrolytes, but also for their thin-film form in SOFCs/PCFCs or SOECs/PCECs. As a result, the transport properties of the state-of-the-art electrolytes have been revised and compared to show which system prevails over the other under different experimental conditions. Therefore, this technical review can be used as a reference source to provide useful information on oxygen-ionic and protonic conductivity for the most popular solid oxide electrolytes.

• This article is part of the themed collection: Journal of Materials Chemistry A Recent Review Articles

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D. E. Matkin, I. A. Starostina, M. B. Hanif and D. Medvedev, J. Mater. Chem. A , 2024, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D4TA03852E

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In ‘Lovely One,’ Ketanji Brown Jackson Credits the Mentors Who Lifted Her Up

The Supreme Court justice’s memoir is deeply personal and full of hope, and highlights a fairy-tale marriage to her college boyfriend.

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LOVELY ONE: A Memoir, by Ketanji Brown Jackson

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson handed down many important decisions on her way to becoming the first Black woman appointed to the nation’s highest court in 2022. But perhaps the most astute was rejecting a career in the magazine industry before anyone could see it was dying.

In a packed but fast-moving new memoir, “Lovely One,” Jackson tells how 30 years before, during a brief stint as a reporter-researcher at Time, she suggested that a top editor might want to send someone to cover Hurricane Andrew. “Oh, we don’t do weather stories,” he replied dismissively of the storm that would cause $27 billion in damage, including ripping the roofs off most homes on her parents’ street in Miami.

“Win or lose a case, the law was logical and understandable,” she writes, “whereas in journalism the criteria for one story being chosen over another seemed subjective and often somewhat arbitrary.”

Subjective? Supreme Court cases? Never .

Jackson also considered becoming a Broadway actress, teaching herself to sing for a college revue about Billie Holiday, and her book could probably be optioned for a bio-musical itself. (Imagine the big “ Immunity ” number!) “Lovely One” is about motivation and mentors, swooshing through a résumé without apparent flaw. It’s a great glass elevator of uplift.

The title is the translation of Jackson’s given name, Ketanji Onyika, a phrase from an untraced African dialect suggested by her Aunt Carolynn, a missionary. Ketanji was born in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14, the same date as Constance Baker Motley , the first Black female federal judge, who became her “personal heroine and forever role model.”

Her father, Johnny, was a school-board attorney; her mother, Ellery, became a principal after teaching science, and little Ketanji was “an enthusiastic pupil, a Mama-pleasing little sponge,” whose foundational texts included “Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine” and the blessedly inclusive “Schoolhouse Rock!” Her younger brother, Ketajh, was more of a risk taker; he became a drug-enforcement detective in the Baltimore unit that inspired “The Wire” and served in Operation Enduring Freedom before settling down to nice relaxing work in commercial litigation.

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The Measure: A Novel Paperback – May 28, 2024

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The Read With Jenna  Today  Show Book Club Pick!

"A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope—read with us." —Jenna Bush Hager

A luminous, spirit-lifting blockbuster that asks: would you choose to find out the length of your life?

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. The contents of this mysterious box tells you 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?

As society comes together and pulls apart, 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?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Enchanting and deeply uplifting,  The Measure  is an ambitious, invigorating story about family, friendship, hope, and destiny that encourages us to live life to the fullest.

• Print length 368 pages
• Language English
• Publisher William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date May 28, 2024
• Dimensions 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
• ISBN-10 0063204215
• ISBN-13 978-0063204218
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

“Perfect for book clubs, Erlick's  The Measure  is equal parts charming and thought-provoking. It takes a philosophical question—what if everybody on earth knew exactly how long they had left to live?—and explores, with compassion and pragmatism, how the implications would trickle down into every area of modern life, from politics to intimacy.” — Marie Claire

“Despite its chilling premise, Erlick’s novel is an escape from—rather than a window into—our own terrifying reality.”  — New York Times

“So often, high-concept novels are all conceit, no heart, but Nikki Erlick gives us both in spades, a fascinating and timely setup buttressed by a compelling cast of characters finding their hard way through unprecedented times. It makes  The Measure  a heartfelt parable for our own unprecedented times but also its opposite: a lesson in what doesn’t change even when everything else does.” — Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of One Two Three

“A compelling, heart-breaking story of life and love with a perfect, elegant premise.” — Bridget Collins, bestselling author of The Binding

“One of the most life-affirming novels I’ve read in a long while, The Measure  is exactly what our world needs right now.” — Christina Dalcher, bestselling author of Vox

“ The Measure  is utterly original and wonderfully mysterious. Through Erlick’s deft prose and clever logic, I threw away all disbelief and fully plunged into the unsettling but life-affirming world she creates.” — Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane

“ The Measure is an utterly original and hugely compelling story, which drew me in from the very first page with its beautiful writing. Weeks after reading it, I’m still thinking about this smart, uplifting novel and its wonderful characters.” — Freya Sampson, author of The Last Chance Library

"Nikki Erlick has created an irresistible hook about a question that everyone asks but no-one ever wants to answer. With thoughtful and compelling detail, she crafts a strange—and strangely familiar—world full of new moral and political conundrums. And while the novel is full of ideas, The Measure has a strong emotional heart—with an array of characters exploring their frightening, but sometimes beautiful new worlds. Ultimately, The Measure is about the power of human resilience, a new world where people get to choose their own kind of freedom." — Luke Allnutt, author of We Own the Sky

“A brilliant concept cleverly executed. I couldn’t stop reading.” — Christina Sweeney-Baird, author of The End of Men

"I doubt I will ever use the term 'life-affirming' when describing a novel again. No other book could ever measure up to what Erlick has done with this tender, original and gripping debut. I cannot think of a reader of any genre who would not find something to love in The Measure ." — Bookreporter.com

“ The Measure  is equal parts charming and thought-provoking. It takes a philosophical question—what if everybody on earth knew exactly how long they had left to live?—and explores, with compassion and pragmatism, how the implications would trickle down into every area of modern life, from politics to intimacy.” — Marie Claire

“Despite its chilling premise, Erlick’s novel is an escape from — rather than a window into — our own terrifying reality.”  — New York Times

"I doubt I will ever use the term 'life-affirming' when describing a novel again. No other book could ever measure up to what Erlick has done with this tender, original and gripping debut. I cannot think of a reader of any genre who would not find something to love in The Measure ." — The Bookreporter

“So often, high-concept novels are all conceit, no heart, but Nikki Erlick gives us both in spades, a fascinating and timely setup buttressed by a compelling cast of characters finding their hard way through unprecedented times. It makes  The Measure  a heartfelt parable for our own unprecedented times but also its opposite: a lesson in what doesn’t change even when everything else does.”  — Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of One Two Three

“What an incredible book! It’s truly original with an intriguing premise that’s beautifully executed. I loved the fact that it was written from so many POVs, each adding depth and perspective to the overall narrative which made it a rich and satisfying read. I found it gripping, poignant, and intensely thought-provoking.” — Ruth Hogan, bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things

About the Author

Nikki Erlick  is the author of the  New York Times  bestseller  The Measure , which was a Read with Jenna  TODAY  Show Book Club pick. Her work has appeared online with  New York Magazine ,  Harper’s Bazaar ,  Newsweek ,  Cosmopolitan ,  Indagare Travel ,  The Huffington Post , and  Vox . She has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from Columbia University and lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow Paperbacks (May 28, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063204215
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063204218
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.83 x 8 inches
• #22 in Friendship Fiction (Books)
• #54 in Women's Friendship Fiction
• #158 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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The Measure - Honest Book Review!

Sophia Doyle

About the author

Nikki erlick.

Nikki Erlick is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Measure. Her work has also appeared online with New York Magazine, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, The Huffington Post, Indagare Travel, BookTrib, and Vox Media. She graduated Harvard University summa cum laude and was an editor of The Harvard Crimson. She earned her master's degree in Global Thought from Columbia University.

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Customers say

Customers find the content thought-provoking and amazing for a first effort. They also praise the writing quality as quirky and wonderful. Readers describe the characters as compelling and emotional. However, some find the plot dull and tedious. Opinions are mixed on the plot, with some finding it beautiful and perfect for its time period, while others say it's boring and repetitive.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the content thought-provoking, interesting, surprising, and engaging. They say the story becomes heavy with political messages and has a beautiful message of hope, family, friendship, and destiny.

"...I liked reading this novel as the author presented some interesting philosophical questions without being 'heavy' in the process...." Read more

"Cleverly written and thought provoking !" Read more

"Read this book because the title was interesting , but also the author is an alumni of my daughter's school in Rye, NY...." Read more

"I'm giving this book a 3 star because it does have some interesting concepts with life ...." Read more

Customers find the writing quality of the book great, unique, and thought-provoking. They also say it's interesting, engaging, and fun to read.

"...The storyline is unique and thought-provoking, with relatable characters dealing with the unusual situation...." Read more

"... This was a great read , and I'm an avid book reader...." Read more

"...Thank You! Genuinely the most touching and thoughtful and thought provoking story ! Again Thank You!" Read more

" Great plot ! A little slow in parts but well worth the read! Would like to read more from Nikki Erlick." Read more

Customers find the writing style wonderful, easy to read, and beautiful. They also say the book has a very beautiful message.

" Cleverly written and thought provoking!" Read more

"...The book is very well-written . I found myself rushing through it, but also making myself put it down at times to just stop and think—What would I do?..." Read more

"...The book was very easy to read , even with all the characters. But I had predicted the end within a few pages of the strings being introduced...." Read more

"5 stars for the premise3 stars for the mediocre writing with way too much telling and not nearly enough showing..." Read more

Customers find the characters compelling.

"Surprising and engaging every step of the way. A profound journey with characters I grew to care about as they lived through the great philosophical..." Read more

"...the contrived way the characters were woven together, the lack of character exploration or exploration of the mystery at the heart of the book, and..." Read more

"...This book really makes you think, but also has so many great characters to fall in love with, and their stories are beautiful...." Read more

Customers find the book provoking, intense, and emotional. They appreciate the sweetness and sincerity. They also describe the story as devastating, uplifting, and fascinating.

"...Definitely an emotional read for me , loved it!" Read more

"...What an inspiring, thought provoking, emotional read ." Read more

"...both challenge one's beliefs & moral concepts, as well As producing heartfelt emotions . Highly recommend!" Read more

"...Lastly, I have to mention the ending. It was heart breaking , but poetic. And it seemed like the perfect way for this book to end.5 ⭐️..." Read more

Customers are mixed about the plot. Some find the story beautiful, imaginative, and captivating. They also say it's heartbreaking, poetic, and predictable. However, others say it’s repetitive, tedious, and gimmicky.

"...Nikki did a wonderful job crafting the individual stories and telling a tale of faith and resilience. Loved it!!" Read more

"...I have to say, however, there is something missing in the overall effect of the book, and this left me being unsatisfied with the ending...." Read more

"Surprising and engaging every step of the way ...." Read more

"...But I did not like reading this book because it wasn't really exciting for me to read.SPOILERS****..." Read more

Customers find the plot hard to follow, with ridiculous problems and mediocre execution. They also say the book never develops for them and is quite mundane.

"...The problems aren’t insurmountable ...." Read more

"I’m only 75 pages in, but I am finding it repetitive and tedious . I generally like this type of novel, but I can’t seem to get into this one." Read more

"...touches your heartstrings, and if you pardon another pun, ties everything up so neatly ...." Read more

"The book had a great concept. It was a little hard to follow switching back & forth in every chapter with the characters...." Read more

Customers find the pace of the book a little slow and a slog to get through.

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"While this was a clever and interesting premise, the book was a little slow . It was a thought provoking book. Character development was good!" Read more

"...This one started interesting, but a bit draggy at first ...." Read more

"...It was slow to get into an understand what was going on, but definitely worth reading. It makes you sit back and reflect on your own life." Read more

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Money blog: Bank launches cheapest five-year mortgage - as rivals also announce cuts

The Money blog is your place for consumer and personal finance news and tips. Today's posts include NatWest launching the cheapest five-year mortgage on the market and an old Liam Gallagher tweet about ticket pricing. Leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering in the box below.

Tuesday 3 September 2024 12:04, UK

• High-street bank trumps rivals with cheapest five-year mortgage
• Pay-per-mile tax scheme proposed for electric vehicles
• Liam Gallagher's 2017 tweet about £350 tickets comes back to haunt him
• Millions to get cost of living payments this winter as scheme extended

Essential reads

• Basically... Free school meals
• 'This job has saved lives': What's it like selling the Big Issue?
• Best of the Money blog

Tips and advice

• Cheapest holidays dates before Christmas
• Money Problem : 'My dog died but insurance still wants whole year's payment'
• How else to eat Greggs on cheap as O2 Priority scraps freebies

Ask a question or make a comment

NatWest has launched the cheapest five-year fixed mortgage deal on the market. 

The 3.71% rate comes with a £1,495 product fee and is available to customers who have a 40% deposit. 

Other lenders have also announced cuts this week, including Barclays and Halifax. 

Yesterday, Barclays reduced its five-year fixed 60% LTV remortgage deal from 4.06% to 3.93%. 

It also announced cuts across its purchase product range, with a five-year fixed 75% LTV deal coming with a 3.95% rate and a £899 product fee. 

Halifax also launched a 3.81% five-year deal to new borrowers yesterday. 

Brokers have welcomed the cuts as "hugely positive" news, and suggested more lenders could follow suit. 

"NatWest's latest rate cut is another clear signal that mortgage lenders are pulling out all the stops to reignite the housing market," Ranald Mitchell, director of Charwin Mortgages, told Newspage.

"This flurry of rate reductions is a positive step towards finding that sweet spot where consumer confidence rebounds, and the property market gets back on track. 

"It's an exciting time for potential buyers, affordability is improving, and the window of opportunity is wide open." 

Justin Moy, the managing director at EHF Mortgages, said: "Lenders are looking to grab some market share by the end of the year.

"Other lenders will likely want to make a similar move over the coming days to remain competitive." 

By James Sillars , business reporter

It's a fairly muted start to the day's trading, again, on financial markets.

The FTSE 100 has opened 10 points higher at 8,373.

Rolls-Royce, the civil aerospace-to-defence firm (not to be confused with the luxury motor car manufacturer), is leading the gainers.

Its shares rallied by 4% early this morning after a 6.5% decline the previous day.

That tumbled was in reaction to the apparent mid-air failure of one of its engines on a Cathay Pacific flight .

Analysts said that the share price recovery was down to an update from  the airline that the fleet affected should be back to full operation by the weekend.

A tweet Liam Gallagher wrote seven years ago criticising the eye-watering price of gig tickets has come back to haunt him.

His message, written in September 2017 about his older brother Noel, who was touring America with his band High Flying Birds at the time, read: "350 dollars to go and see rkid in USA what a c*** when will it all stop as you were LG x"

The tweet has resurfaced after dynamic pricing for Oasis's much-hyped reunion next year left fans - many of whom had spent hours queueing online - stunned after some standard tickets more than doubled in price from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster due to demand.

X users pointed out the irony upon seeing the 2017 tweet, posting comments including, "Well this is evergreen", "What's your excuse for charging over 368 quid then?" and "Not ageing well, Liam".

Tap here to follow the Daily podcast - 20 minutes on the biggest stories every day

Using a phrase Liam adopts in his own social media comments, another fan wrote simply "BIBLICAL".

Hundreds of people have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over "misleading claims about availability and pricing".

In response, Sir Keir Starmer has said the government will get a "grip" on the issue of surge pricing, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy promising a consultation over the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, and the technology around queuing systems, to ensure fans don't get ripped off.

Yesterday we revealed that official reseller Twickets had lowered its fees after criticism from Oasis fans.

Scroll through today's Money blog for: Cheapest dates to go on holiday this year (6.42 post); how do you get free school meals (7.58 post); pay-per-mile tax proposed (7.38 post)

Basically, free school meals are aimed at making sure the country's more vulnerable youngsters don't go hungry while they're learning in their earlier years.

Children of certain ages automatically qualify without having to apply, but the rules differ across the four nations.

Children whose parents claim certain benefits or asylum support may also be eligible - though an application may be needed.

Free school meals without having to apply

In England, outside of London , all state school children in reception to year two automatically qualify for infant free school meals, while in the capital , all state primary school children up to age 11 qualify for the benefit in the 2024-25 academic year.

In Scotland , all state school children up to primary five (around four to nine years old) get the meals automatically. There are plans for this to be extended to pupils in receipt of the Scottish child payment in primary six and seven from February.

In Wales  all primary school children in state schools can get free meals from September.

Families who claim benefits

If your child falls outside the eligibility criteria for automatic free school meals, they'll still be able to benefit in certain circumstances.

Wherever you are in the UK, your child may be able to get free school meals if you get one or more of the following:

• Income support
• Universal credit
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of pension credit
• Child tax credit
• Working tax credit (Scotland and Northern Ireland)
• Working tax credit run-on England and Wales) – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit

There's some specific criteria for families by devolved nation, which we'll break down below...

England and Wales

If you're claiming universal credit, your net household income must be less than £7,400 after tax, and not including any benefits.

Those receiving child tax credit must not also be entitled to working tax credit and must have an annual income of less than £16,190.

If you're classed as having no recourse to public funds - a type of condition placed on temporary visas in the UK - and the parents are able to work, they must have a household income of no more than:

• £22,700 for families outside of London with one child
• £26,300 for families outside of London with two or more children
• £31,200 for families within London with one child
• £34,800 for families within London with two or more children

People claiming universal credit in Scotland must have a household monthly income of no more than £796 (£9,552 per year) to qualify for free school meals. 

Families on child tax credit, but not working tax credit, can get the meals if they earn less than £19,995. For those on both benefits, their income must be no more than £9,552.

Northern Ireland

You may be able to claim free school meals in Northern Ireland if you receive universal credit and your post-tax earnings are £15,000 or less per year.

If you get child tax credit or working tax credit, you can still get free school meals on an annual income of up to £16,190.

How can I claim the meals?

In England, Wales and Scotland, you apply to your local council.

The UK government website has a local authority postcode checker here , which directs you to the council running services in your area. There are similar tools on the Scottish and Welsh government websites.

In Northern Ireland, you can use this form to apply directly to the government.

How many children are eligible - and how much does it cost? 

According to the latest data from the Department for Education, 2.1 million pupils were eligible for free school meals in the 2023-24 academic year - 24.6% of pupils. This was a rise from 23.8% the year before.

According to the London mayor's office, it's estimated that school meals cost £13.25 per week - or £2.65 meal - on average.

It says its free school meals offer for all state-educated primary school children in the capital saves parents around £500 per year.

According to a 2023 report from the IFS, the current system of free school meals in England – both means-tested and universal provision – costs the government around £1.4bn a year.

But separate research from the Food Foundation found that expanding free school meal eligibility to all primary school students could generate around £41bn in direct benefits to students and a further £58bn to the wider economy over 20 years.

Read other entries in our Basically series.. .

Tax receipts from petrol and diesel duty bring in £25bn for the Treasury each year - and questions have been raised about what happens as more drivers go electric.

Today, the public transport charity Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) is proposing that drivers of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), such as electric cars, should be charged based on how far they travel.

They are asking Chancellor Rachel Reeves to impose the pay-per-mile scheme, saying it's the solution to a "black hole" that will be created by the loss of fuel duty.

The scheme would not apply to drivers of traditionally fuelled cars.

Under the plan, drivers with a ZEV before the implementation date would be exempt, incentivising the switch to electric vehicles.

Previous governments have found the prospect of introducing per-mile charges - known as road pricing - to be too politically toxic.

But CBT claims it would have public support.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box - and read more on this story here ...

Summer may be edging towards the rear-view mirror, but that doesn't mean Britons are turning their back on sunshine. 

With many looking to sort an autumn holiday, Expedia has taken a look at the best times to fly and book hotels - with savings of up to £120 if you are savvy. 

Its data is based on average daily rates for lodging and flight prices between 22 September and 21 December this year.

When to book flights for

• Cheapest : 22, 23 or 24 September
• Least busy : 10 or 17 December
• Most expensive : 19, 20 or 21 December
• Busiest : 20 and 21 October

"For the best deals, travellers should look to book their flights 14 to 20 days before travel, saving them on average £120 compared to booking 91 days or more out, or saving £60 compared to booking 60-90 days out," Expedia says. 

"Target the 22-29 September for travel, when average ticket prices (ATPs) for flights are shaping up to be nearly £100 cheaper than the autumn average, and £50 cheaper than summer ATPs."

When to  book a hotel

• Cheapest : 20 November or 11 December
• Most expensive : 14 or 21 October
• Busiest : 23 October or 25 September

"For hotel stays, target the 3-9 November, when average daily rates are £15 cheaper per night than the seasonal average and summer stays," Expedia says. 

The holiday booking site says the most popular autumn destinations have remained largely the same as last year based on the largest number of hotel searches...

• New York, USA
• Paris, France
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Manchester, UK
• Tenerife, Spain
• Birmingham, UK
• Rome, Italy

Despite this, Expedia says savvy Britons are searching out "under the radar" getaway spots.

"Flight searches have surged for Brits looking to discover new, under-the-radar European cities this autumn, such as Tirana (+95%) in Albania and Bucharest (+70%) in Romania, as Brits look to stretch their budgets further by looking outside the popular city break hotspots."

The top 10 destinations with the biggest search increases are:

• Saint Malo, France
• Didim, Turkey
• Syracuse, Italy
• Beijing, China 
• Palermo, Italy
• Tromso, Norway 
• Brescia, Italy 
• Poznan, Poland
• Tangier, Morocco
• Ischia, Italy

The Money blog will return shortly - meantime, why not scroll through some of our best and most popular features below...

Despite traditionally being an affordable staple of British cuisine, the average price for a portion of fish and chips has risen by more than 50% in the past five years to nearly £10, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Sonny and Shane "the codfather" Lee told Sky News of the challenges that owning J-Henry's Fish and Chip Shop brings and why prices have skyrocketed. 

"Potatoes, fish, utilities, cooking oil - so many things [are going up]," he said. 

Shane also said that he is used to one thing at a time increasing in price, but the outlook today sees multiple costs going up all at once.  

"Potatoes [were] priced right up to about £25 a bag - the previous year it was about £10 a bag," Sonny said, noting a bad harvest last year. 

He said the business had tried hake as a cheaper fish option, but that consumers continued to prefer the more traditional, but expensive, cod and haddock. 

"It's hard and we can we can absorb the cost to a certain extent, but some of it has to be passed on," Shane added. 

After a long Saturday for millions of Oasis fans in online queues, the culture secretary says surge pricing - which pushed the price of some tickets up by three times their original advertised value to nearly £400 - will be part of the government's review of the ticket market. 

On today's episode of the Daily podcast, host Niall Paterson speaks to secondary ticketing site Viagogo. While it wasn’t part of dynamic pricing, it has offered resale tickets for thousands of pounds since Saturday. 

Matt Drew from the company accepts the industry needs a full review, while Adam Webb, from the campaign group FanFair Alliance, explains the changes it would like to see.

We've covered the fallout of the Oasis sale extensively in the Money blog today - see the culture secretary's comments on the "utterly depressing" inflated pricing in our post at 6.37am, and Twickets, the official Oasis resale site, slammed by angry fans for its "ridiculous" added fees at 10.10am.

The growing backlash culminated in action from Twickets - the company said it would lower its charges after some fans had to pay more than £100 in extra fees for resale tickets (see post at 15.47).

Last week we reported that employers will have to offer flexible working hours - including a four-day week - to all workers under new government plans.

To receive their full pay, employees would still have to work their full hours but compressed into a shorter working week - something some workplaces already do.

Currently, employees can request flexible hours as soon as they start at a company but employers are not legally obliged to agree.

The Labour government now wants to make it so employers have to offer flexible hours from day one, except where it is "not reasonably feasible".

You can read more of the details in this report by our politics team:

But what does the public think about this? We asked our followers on LinkedIn to give their thoughts in an unofficial poll.

It revealed that the overwhelming majority of people support the idea to compress the normal week's hours into fewer days - some 83% of followers said they'd choose this option over a standard five-day week.

But despite the poll showing a clear preference for a compressed week, our followers appeared divided in the comments.

"There's going to be a huge brain-drain as people move away from companies who refuse to adapt with the times and implement a 4 working week. This will be a HUGE carrot for many orgs," said Paul Burrows, principal software solutions manager at Reality Capture.

Louise McCudden, head of external affairs at MSI Reproductive Choices, said she wasn't surprised at the amount of people choosing longer hours over fewer days as "a lot of people" are working extra hours on a regular basis anyway.

But illustrator and administrative professional Leslie McGregor noted the plan wouldn't be possible in "quite a few industries and quite a few roles, especially jobs that are customer centric and require 'round the clock service' and are heavily reliant upon people in trades, maintenance, supply and transport". 

"Very wishful thinking," she said.

Paul Williamson had a similar view. He said: "I'd love to know how any customer first service business is going to manage this."

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