The Unit
2 journalers for this copy...
Amazon.com Review
Book Description
One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries–are sequestered for their final few years; they are considered outsiders. In the Unit they are expected to contribute themselves for drug and psychological testing, and ultimately donate their organs, little by little, until the final donation. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others, and Dorrit finds herself living under very pleasant conditions: well-housed, well-fed, and well-attended. She is resigned to her fate and discovers her days there to be rather consoling and peaceful. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and life suddenly turns unbearable. Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape, and…well, then what?
The Unit is a gripping exploration of a society in the throes of an experiment, in which the “dispensable” ones are convinced under gentle coercion of the importance of sacrificing for the “necessary” ones. Ninni Holmqvist has created a debut novel of humor, sorrow, and rage about love, the close bonds of friendship, and about a cynical, utilitarian way of thinking disguised as care.
Book Description
One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries–are sequestered for their final few years; they are considered outsiders. In the Unit they are expected to contribute themselves for drug and psychological testing, and ultimately donate their organs, little by little, until the final donation. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others, and Dorrit finds herself living under very pleasant conditions: well-housed, well-fed, and well-attended. She is resigned to her fate and discovers her days there to be rather consoling and peaceful. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and life suddenly turns unbearable. Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape, and…well, then what?
The Unit is a gripping exploration of a society in the throes of an experiment, in which the “dispensable” ones are convinced under gentle coercion of the importance of sacrificing for the “necessary” ones. Ninni Holmqvist has created a debut novel of humor, sorrow, and rage about love, the close bonds of friendship, and about a cynical, utilitarian way of thinking disguised as care.
My review for Armchair Interviews:
Ninni Holmqvist’s The Unit describes a near futuristic world where social engineering provides for all and gives everyone a purpose. Jobs are secure; childcare is provided; all is well, or is it? Middle aged adults who have willingly chosen or happen to not have children are required to contribute to society in another way, namely as subjects of drug and psychological research studies and as organ donors, ultimately giving their lives (and vital organs) to those in society who are not “dispensable.” Upon a childless woman’s 50th birthday or childless man’s 60th birthday, they are moved into “The Unit,” a domed community complete with restaurants, art galleries, exercise facilities, shopping and lush gardens. It is here that they are able to form friendships and live without the social restrictions of society until their “final donation.” The story centers on Dorrit, a 50 year old woman who has just entered The Unit, and the development of her relationships with others also deemed dispensable. This emotional and haunting tale carries the reader into a world of extreme social control and engineering.
Reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, The Unit explores many questions about the nature of society, freedom versus restriction and an individual’s worth within a society. Are any people “dispensable”? Are some people’s lives worth more than others? If there are social restrictions and mores, is there true freedom? A thought-provoking read, The Unit will have you asking many questions about your own beliefs and thinking about this book long after the last page is read.
ETA 6/30/09: This book is one its way to Kiri from the Literature in Translation swap. Enjoy!
Ninni Holmqvist’s The Unit describes a near futuristic world where social engineering provides for all and gives everyone a purpose. Jobs are secure; childcare is provided; all is well, or is it? Middle aged adults who have willingly chosen or happen to not have children are required to contribute to society in another way, namely as subjects of drug and psychological research studies and as organ donors, ultimately giving their lives (and vital organs) to those in society who are not “dispensable.” Upon a childless woman’s 50th birthday or childless man’s 60th birthday, they are moved into “The Unit,” a domed community complete with restaurants, art galleries, exercise facilities, shopping and lush gardens. It is here that they are able to form friendships and live without the social restrictions of society until their “final donation.” The story centers on Dorrit, a 50 year old woman who has just entered The Unit, and the development of her relationships with others also deemed dispensable. This emotional and haunting tale carries the reader into a world of extreme social control and engineering.
Reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, The Unit explores many questions about the nature of society, freedom versus restriction and an individual’s worth within a society. Are any people “dispensable”? Are some people’s lives worth more than others? If there are social restrictions and mores, is there true freedom? A thought-provoking read, The Unit will have you asking many questions about your own beliefs and thinking about this book long after the last page is read.
ETA 6/30/09: This book is one its way to Kiri from the Literature in Translation swap. Enjoy!
