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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Ninni Holmqvist's novel is compelling and disturbing at the same time. From the first turn of the page I was drawn into the futuristic world where childless women who have reached the age 50 and childless men at age 60 are "welcomed" into The Unit. A beautiful spa like setting with walking paths,...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Disturbing premise.”
irwin l wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A fresh, thought-provoking, character-driven look at how to measure the value of a human life. The most remarkable part of "The Unit" was the balanced perspectives in the story, with no point of view depicted as entirely incorrect or evil. As expected in dystopian fiction, the ending is not a happy one; however, a small seed of hope is planted at the end of the novel.”
Carolyn W wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“dystopia, speculative fiction, dispensible 50 year old woman enters unit to donate self to science for good of society, gentle love story, very moving”
Jenny A wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Ninni Holmqvist's novel is compelling and disturbing at the same time. From the first turn of the page I was drawn into the futuristic world where childless women who have reached the age 50 and childless men at age 60 are "welcomed" into The Unit. A beautiful spa like setting with walking paths, beautiful gardens', wonderful food, medical experiments and body harvesting from their "residents". Our protagonist is Dorrit, a woman who never had a steady job, had a lover who lived with someone else, and whose loyal dog Jock who was her only family. But without children and not contributing in some job deemed worthy, Dorrit is considered "dispensable". As she gives up her lover, her dog, and her home and gets picked up by The Unit, we enter the world of the "dispensables" and what life means for them. It is a sad, touching and even at times humorous story, that makes us question, what makes a person indispensable? Who has the right to discount a life just because it doesn't conform to the "standard". In The Unit, the government makes that decision, and it is infuriating! I kept trying to think of ways of Dorrit and her new found friends to get out of there. I was angered at how accepting Dorrit was by her circumstances. But part of that acceptance is a kind of new found "family" of people, who care about each other and who finally have found a place where they "fit in". For days after finishing The Unit I was haunted. An amazing book, and one worth reading and discussing!”
Suzanne L wrote this review Sunday, November 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Beautiful and disturbing story. Has the feel of holocaust stories, but even more disturbing because of the pleasant, beautiful environment that is created for the inmates. Can't help drawing many analogies to current society.”
Keith P wrote this review Thursday, September 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Speculative fiction about a not so distant future when non-productive people of a certain age are put to use in a rather scary way.”
Jo M wrote this review Tuesday, August 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“chilling, dystopian, you think "how could this happen?" and then you remember that it's already happening in China!”
IDY guy wrote this review Thursday, July 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Great dystopian novel...ending wasn't what I hoped for, but...”
SHARRON S wrote this review Thursday, July 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“Dorrit Weger has just turned fifty. A time when most people are thinking about what they are going to do when they retire. Well Dorrit doesn't have to worry about that. She has agreed to leave her home and move into an apartment at the Second Reserve Bank Unit. A place that houses women over fifty and men over sixty, who are childless. The Unit sets them up till their time is up. The catch is that the men and women agree to be test subjects as well as organ donors. The Unit will care and provide for Dorrit and the rest of the group till their last organ donation.
Cheryl wrote this review Wednesday, June 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
For Dorrit the agreement to live out her last years at the Unit would be just fine with her. That is till she met someone. His name is Johannes. He is a fellow writer like Dorrit and he has being living at the Unit for a while. Dorrit never expected to meet anyone, especially someone like Johannes. Dorrit learns that her sister, Siv used to life at the Unit as well. Siv like Dorrit fell in love with someone as well. Unfortunately there was no happy ending for Siv and her lover. After Dorrit hears about Siv, she starts to have second thoughts about living at the Unit and what her and Johannes future may hold for them.
Have you ever wondered where exactly are the lines being crossed when it concerns science and humanity? This question is brought into play in The Unit. Author Ninni Holmqvist brings a creative and refreshing outlook to what we as a society will do for science as well as love. I picked up this book and instantly became spellbound. I found I couldn't tear myself away from this book and finished it in one afternoon. The characters where real people that you could relate to and experience a bond with. So if you are looking for something new to read then you have to check out The Unit today.
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