My Latest Reads

Concept — On a spring day, every adult age 22 or older awakes to find a box delivered with the message “The measure of your life lies within” inscribed on each box. Inside, if the recipient dares to look, is a string. The string length represents the length of the recipient’s life. The novel follows the lives of eight characters as they navigate this new world of “short stringers” and “long stringers.” How does this knowledge change individuals, communities, and the world? Eventually, the lives of all the characters will intersect on some level.

My Take — Crafting a first novel through eight character perspectives is challenging, but Erlick does so well. The novel explores how prejudices and fears are stoked by this new type of identity based on string length. I do need to suspend my rational side regarding the origin of the boxes because that is never known with any certainty: Is the sender God? Aliens? The Fates? In the end, the origin is not the point but how human beings react to this ability to know approximately when their lives will end. It leaves me pondering what the measure of one’s life really is and whether I would open my box to know.

Reviews & Recommendations — The reviews I read were positive overall. Only one found it so-so because of its predictability. I would add this book to my high school classroom library. It’s a solid adult fiction read that would be accessible and interesting.

Concept — Imagine the female characters of Shakepeare’s plays dropped through a stage trapdoor into a limbo of sorts after their stage deaths. Here they wait until summoned for their next performance. That’s the context of McCullough’s Enter the Body. The characters who discuss their famous roles include Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia. They are joined by a mute Lavinia from Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. They tell their fates and debate how they could be different if their characters took charge of their destinies. They include references to other tragic females in the plays who exist along the fringes of the room.

My Take — I am intrigued by reimaginings of classics. This book written in a mix of playwriting and verse is conceptually excellent. I am unfamiliar with Titus Andronicus and its tragic character Lavinia, but the description of her fate makes me leery of reading the play. Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia offer us insights into their times and the expectations of them as females and plot devices. Their selection to offer their stories ties to their youthful ages, ranging from Juliet (13) to Lavinia (19), making their stories relevant to a high school audience. They imagine their lives differently based on their characters making different choices. But don’t expect them to create happily-ever-after fairy tales for the reader.

Reviews & Recommendations — The discussions of Shakespearian female characters contain references to and sometimes descriptions of difficult content including sexual assault, mutilation, and death in many forms. I would include this work in my high school classroom library. It includes a content warning from the author before it begins, and I would also inform potential readers of its triggering content through book talks. School Library Journal‘s review recommends the book for 7th grade and up. Kirkus Reviews lists it as Fiction 14-18.

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