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The Unit

By Ninni Holmqvist
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.75 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 12,327 ratings, 1,723 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Unit, Dorrit, a single, childless woman of fifty deemed economically worthless, leaves behind her lover, dog and home to join the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. There, while under constant watch and facing the prospect of organ donation until death, she experiences a strange mix of comfort and dread. Despite the luxury and companionship, Dorrit must confront the brutal reality of her existence and decide whether to accept one nightmare or risk another when a startling event changes everything.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book will appeal to readers interested in speculative fiction with a thoughtful, unsettling exploration of societal values, individual worth and personal sacrifice. Fans of dystopian narratives and literary fiction with a psychological edge will find it compelling.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A chilling and gripping dystopian novel set in near-future Sweden

 

In paradise, nobody can hear you scream

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Single, childless, fifty and deemed economically worthless, Dorrit leaves behind her married lover, her beloved dog and her ramshackle house and joins the residents of the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is resigned to making her contribution to society by giving herself, organ by organ, to the necessary population outside the Unit.

Despite constant surveillance and the regular disappearance of inmates making their final donation, Dorrit and her new friends eat well, sleep well, keep fit, play hard and even make love. Their fears are deadened by the luxury of their surroundings, their newfound companionship, the atmosphere of calm, and their freedom from financial worries.

Is it possible that against all the odds, real happiness can exist in the Unit? When something truly extraordinary happens to Dorrit, highlighting the grotesque reality of her situation, she faces the hardest decision of her life. Will she exchange one nightmare for another?

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

‘A haunting, deadpan tale set vaguely in the Scandinavian future… Holmqvist’s spare prose interweaves the Unit’s pleasures and cruelties with exquisite matter-of-factness. Readers actually begin to wonder…is life better as a pampered lab bunny or as a lonely indigent? But then [Holmqvist] turns the screw, presenting a set of events so miraculous and abominable that they literally made me gasp.’ – Washington Post

‘I liked The Unit very much... I know you will be riveted, as I was.’ – Margaret Atwood

‘The message is bold if not on the nose: If you don’t fall into a classic nuclear family, then your value as a human are the spare parts you can give those who do contribute to traditional family structures. Holmqvist’s writing is clear and precise; the clinical tone adds to the book’s eeriness.’

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781780747217

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 April 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oneworld Publications

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 272

Collections

Dystopian Fiction Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Ninni Holmqvist

About the Author

Ninni Holmqvist lives in Skane, Sweden. She is the author of three short-story collections, including Kostym (Suit), and two novels. She also works as a translator.

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