Sunday, December 18, 2016

Bookish Thoughts: The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

It was more comfortable than I could have imagined. ~ Opening of The Unit



The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist, translated by Marlaine Delargy
Other Press, 2009
Fiction; 268 pgs
Source: Postal Mail Group (Borrowed)

As Holmqvist describes it in her novel, The Unit, it started as a debate by a new political party that wasn't taken too seriously. Overtime, however, the idea grew, taking on new forms and growing in popularity. Soon, it became a way of life. Men over sixty and women over fifty who were single, childless, and without jobs valued by society as contributing to the greater good are now considered dispensable and forced to give their bodies up for science. Sequestered in one location, they seemingly live out their final years in comfort--their every need met. There is a beautiful garden right out of a Monet painting, walkways, and shops, restaurants, and a theater. It's an indoor heaven, of sorts. Or so they want you to believe. Their every move and word is monitored. The dispensable people's purpose now is to take part in various psychological and scientific studies--and donate organs as needed. 

Set in a Dystopian Sweden, The Unit asks the question what, if any, is the value of life? Who decides? Dorrit Weger has just turned 50, and reluctantly settles into life on the unit. As the novel progresses, she reflects on her life and what has led her to her this place. Growing up, she was taught to be self-reliant and to go after her dreams. She chose to write, and lived sparsely but comfortably with her beloved dog Jock. It was easy to identify with Dorrit and understand why she made the life choices she did. How was she to know the political winds would change so drastically over the course of her lifetime, earning her the label of a dispensable person? It is not something she agrees with, but has little choice other than to accept it.

Holmqvist does a great job of capturing the range of emotions and thoughts Dorrit goes through over the course of the novel. She is angry and sad, resigned, and scared. There are also moments of happiness and hope. We see the connections Dorrit makes with her friends who are in the same situations, and we go through the grief process as we have to say goodbye when they make their "final donations." The people who run the unit try to make the process as humane as possible, and yet, there is nothing humane about it. It's disturbing how easily accepted all of this is. And yet, is it all that surprising? I thought it was very telling when Dorrit is told she can know the person who is receiving organs, but the person receiving them is not told anything about the donor. Do this to save an important person's life! But obviously the donor isn't important enough to be recognized. It's a form of manipulation, to make it easier for those dispensables who have to give up their lives. There's something terribly wrong with that, as if the situation wasn't terrible enough as it was.

The Unit is more of a quiet book without any big plot twists or major climatic moments. However, it is very thought provoking. Dorrit's story is a compelling one that was hard to put down. I wanted so much for life to be different for the people deemed dispensable. I had never heard of this book before it arrived in the mail as one of my postal mail book group reads. I am glad it came my way.



© 2016, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

19 comments:

  1. I agree with your assessment in the last paragraph. I read this book about the time I turned 50 so it did creep me out some.

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    1. Kathy - I can see how it might. I'm not too far off in the scheme of things. As things progress in the novel, in that society, you have to wonder just how far the society will go--and who else will be labeled indispensable.

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  2. This book definitely sounds deep and thought provoking. When I first saw its release I wasn't immediately hooked by the story. Now that I've read your thoughts I suppose I'll have to add it to my to-read list. :)

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    1. Melody - I found it to be so. I don't know that I would have picked it up from just hearing what it was about either. I'm glad I got the chance to read it through.

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  3. I hadn't heard of this one and doubt it would have popped up on my radar as it is definitely so different from my usual reads. It sounds compelling and terrible and definitely a book I need to read at some point. Great review!

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    1. Katherine - Thank you. My first thought was of Logan's Run when I read the synopsis of this one. Valuing youth over age is not a new concept in literature (or movies), of course, but I thought Holmqvist provided a fresh spin on the topic.

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  4. I saw this on NetGalley (?) but was afraid of being too depressed by the topic. It sounds similar to Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go--which was excellent, but depressing. Reading your comments make me wonder if I should have at least given it a try.

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    1. Jenclair - I haven't read Never Let Me Go, and so couldn't speak to any similarities. I would like to read it at some point though. This was definitely on the depressing side, but still good.

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  5. There's something about a well done dystopian novel that always makes you stop and think. The Unit sounds like one of those books. I'm adding it to my ever-growing 2017 reading list. :)

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    1. Lark -I think so too. I hope you like this one if you do read it!

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  6. This sounds fascinating and very creepy. I'm not sure it's something I would want to read, but the story definitely presents issues I find interesting to think about.

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    1. A.M.B. - I thought it brought up a number of issues worth thinking about. On the surface everything seems voluntary, but it really is not.

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  7. I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. In fact, I think I preferred it over the similar, but better-known, "Never Let You Go"

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    1. Melinda - I haven't read Never Let You Go, but I had the same experience in liking this one more than I initially thought I would.

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  8. This sounds like such a chilling, yet fascinating, story! Dystopian novels are always disturbing, of course, so I'm not at all surprised.

    Coincidentally, I came across a book on another blog today, with a similar topic. Titled "The Fixed Point", it was written by Anthony Trollope, who is best known for novels of another type -- about the ways of high society in the 19th century.

    Both novels deal with the idea of people not being needed or important after a certain age. In the Trollope novel, people are euthanized when they reach the age of 68. Although the plots are different, the idea behind them is similar. How sad that people should be either euthanized or considered "dispensable" once their "most productive" years are over..... This is a total falsehood, of course, as many creative individuals are able to continue creating well into their later years. A case in point, off the top of my head: Picasso, who was 92 when he died, and remained creatively active until the end.

    Although, as you've stated, this is a "quiet" novel, it also sounds like a very introspective, philosophical one. Definitely adding it to my Goodreads shelves!

    Thanks for featuring this book, and thanks for the TERRIFIC review!! <3 :)

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    1. Maria - It was fascinating and so sad. I am not familiar with Trollope's novel. Thank you for the link to Brian's review.

      I hope you like it if you do read it, Maria.

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  9. P.S. I almost forgot....if you want to read a review of the Trollope novel, "The Fixed Period", you can do so at the link below. The blog is named BABBLING BOOKS, and the blogger is Brian Joseph. He has AWESOME posts!

    Here's the link:

    http://briansbabblingbooks.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-fixed-period-by-anthony-trollope.html

    Toodles!! <3 :)

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  10. I've been wanting to read this one so I'm glad that you liked it.

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    1. Stacy - I hadn't heard of it before, but really enjoyed it. I hope you do get to read it!

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