The Unit

#737
Title: The Unit
Author: Ninni Holmqvist
Publisher: Other Press
Year: 2006/2009
272 pages
Ebook.


Aspects of the general conceit match Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, with an occasional dash of Schusterman's Unwind or Logan's Run thrown in. An important difference, however, is the protagonist's matter-of-fact acceptance of her fate, which inclines the tone more toward Ishiguro. The story around the edges was the more interesting piece for me--the staff of the Unit who clearly are troubled by their ethical scruples and lean toward disobedience. More exploration of their dilemmas (especially when the residents are so compliant) might have made this a 5-star novel.

As a woman of somewhere around 50, I found the notion that my utility to society might be complete laughable; on the other hand, as a person in a partnership not legally acknowledged by my nation, the idea that some kinds of relationships count while others don't cuts close to home. I agree with some other reviewers that [highlight for spoiler] it makes no sense that you'd waste organs by conducting medical experiments on the residents.