The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

Posted by: Clare Swindlehurst on Wednesday, July 8, 2009
One response
2009

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist is an intriguing insight into a world where dispensable people must give themselves over to medical science for the good of society.

My Book Review Rating: 6 stars – this novel will make think about how you value yourself and the people around you and the price you place on your freedom.

When I picked up the press release for The Unit I almost put the book to the bottom of my review pile – a previous reviewer had described it as: “Orwellian horrors in Xanadu on Xanax – creepily profound and most provocative.” Talk about putting me off as a reader! But I picked it up, and I’m glad I did, for this is one of the most thought-provoking books I’ve ever read (hence the elusive 6 star rating). And actually – now I’ve read the book – that description is pretty accurate!

The novel is written from the perspective of Dorrit Weger, a childless writer who lives alone with her dog and is close to the poverty line. On her 50th birthday she is taken to a special unit – a reserve unit for biological material – where she must live out the rest of her life. These units have been set up to cater for dispensable people – women aged 50 and men aged 60 – who are childless or don’t have a job which contributes to society. These people don’t have anyone who loves or needs them and aren’t considered useful to society, so they serve the community by undergoing various tests and studies – imagine animal testing performed on people. Eventually they donate organs to the needed citizens – those who are loved, raise children and contribute to the economic growth of society – who need organs from healthy bodies to survive.

The unit itself is a beautiful facility, with shops and restaurants, a fitness facility and a huge winter garden and the dispensables are well looked after and are encouraged to forge relationships with their peers.

This novel is beautifully written from the perspective of Dorrit and is a rich and riveting read – it also prompts many questions. What value do we place on our lives and the lives of others? Are those people who choose to raise children really the only worthy people in society?

The Unit has echos of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go – though I much preferred this novel. If you are looking for ideas for your book club then you should definitely add this to your list; I suggest you stock up on snacks before your meeting though as I suspect the issues and questions raised by Holmqvist could fuel hours of discussion!