I still don't know, and I'm still pondering Dorrit's behavior at book's end. Would I be willing to give up my freedom and shorten my life to live in the lap of luxury for a few years, knowing at the end that I will have helped many people by giving up parts of my body? I'm still wondering if I could cope living in a society such as the one the author describes. There is much food for thought in the pages of this book. She tells her tale simply and doesn't try to make it into something it's not.and that's exactly what gives The Unit its mesmerizing, chilling power. Throughout the book, Holmqvist remains matter-of-fact. "People who read books," he went on, "tend to be dispensable. "Well, it's because there are so many intellectuals here. Many of the people in these Reserve Bank Units might seem familiar to anyone who surfs the Internet reading book blogs: No Internet surfing without strict supervision. No snail mail, no email, no text messages, no telephone calls. As Dorrit explores her lovely new apartment, she notices cameras everywhere.
This is the situation that Dorrit Weger finds herself in at the beginning of The Unit, a powerful debut novel by Swedish author, Ninni Holmqvist. For the next few years, you will be taken care of, but you will also be expected to participate in medical and psychological experimentation, and you will donate your organs, a little bit at a time, until it's time for your "final donation". You haven't contributed your fair share to society, and now is the time that you're expected to rectify your oversight. If you fit the description in the above paragraph, you have been termed "dispensable" by the government. You will have access to the best food, the best shops, the best exercise facilities, and you don't have to pay for any of it. There you will be given a very nice small apartment. So what, you may ask? Well, if you fit this description, a nice van will come to pick you up and whisk you away to one of the climate-controlled Reserve Bank Units for biological material. You don't make much money, and you certainly don't have a job in any of the "important" industries. You're either a female, aged fifty, or a male, aged sixty. Close your eyes and picture yourself in these circumstances: I have a "new pair of shoes" for you to try on. Translated from the Swedish by: Marlaine Delargyįirst Line: It was more comfortable than I could have imagined.
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