The Unit

Jul 04, 2011 Brad rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-acto-knives-are-nice-and-shiny, hopes-dashed-like-an-egg-on-cement, shite, swedish-lit, taking-a-poop

The Unit is billed as a Sci-Fi dystopia. If so, it's just barely so. It's speculative with a lower case "s" but little more than that.

Told in the first person by Dorrit Weger -- the most insipid, pathetic, annoying narrator I've read in years -- The Unit is about a future in Sweden where old "dispensable" people (women at fifty and men at sixty who have no families or partners who've avowed love for them), are harvested for their organs and made subjects for medical testing while living the cush...more The Unit is billed as a Sci-Fi dystopia. If so, it's just barely so. It's speculative with a lower case "s" but little more than that.

Told in the first person by Dorrit Weger -- the most insipid, pathetic, annoying narrator I've read in years -- The Unit is about a future in Sweden where old "dispensable" people (women at fifty and men at sixty who have no families or partners who've avowed love for them), are harvested for their organs and made subjects for medical testing while living the cushiest of lives in a utopian Organ Bank Unit, complete with live and movie theatres, art gallery, library, great food, lovely little shops, fantastic fitness facilities, and a gorgeous park straight out of a Monet painting.

And they live there charmed little end of life until their final donation when the surgeons take their senior citizen heart or pancreas or liver or some other big organ and give it to someone who's needed in the outside world, when, of course, they die. Boo hoo. I am so sad for them. Or I'm supposed to be, but Ninni Holqvist managed to strip me of pity and just fill me full of "Suck it up!"

And that's just my emotional response.

How on earth are senior citizen organs viable options -- on a large scale -- for transplant into youths? Moreover, Holmqvist goes to great lengths to constantly remind us that tobacco and alcohol are not allowed in the Unit because of the deleterious effects they have on the residents bodies, but apparently experimental radiation therapies, hormone therapies and psychotropic drugs have no such impacts, since subjects give organs even after their own health fails because of the testing. What?!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Holmqvist's political and philosophical concepts are poorly executed. Her male characters are poorly drawn. Her pacing is just plain poor. There is no suspense, no tension and nothing compelling. But there are plenty of cheese sandwiches and Dorrit's constant obsession with the dog she left behind to keep us going.

I almost gave this book a second star, though, because the ending was precisely what Dorrit would have done in the situation in which she found herself. But nope. Even the two decent sex scenes couldn't overcome my disdain. I hated this book too much for that or that. So one star.

I hope Ms. Holmqvist is one of those pretentious "literary" authors who deny that their work is Science Fiction because I expect my Sci-Fi to be good, and I'd hate to have her sully my favourite genre with the presence of this book. Steer clear, my friends, steer clear. (less)

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Nov 20, 2011 Denae rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: intriguing-review, re-read-potential, read-in-2011, challenge-1010-by-2020

The Unit is the saddest piece of dystopian fiction I have ever read. Normally the genre leaves me angry or frightened or feeling the need for a good shower, but this made me feel heartbroken. The Unit is a place where women who have reached the age of 50 and men who have reached the age of 60 without having children are sent to live in order to participate in "humane" experiments and act as organ donors for the so-called needed. These people are known as dispensable.

The story portrayed is one wh...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lieblingsbücher

Ninni Holmqvist entführt uns in "Die Entbehrlichen" in eine Welt, in der man gelernt hat die Logik über die Ethik zu stellen. Was "Gut" und was "Böse" ist, wird an Hand der eigenen Nützlichkeit festgelegt. So erscheint es selbstverständlich, dass ein Mensch der zum Beispiel nicht für Kinder zu sorgen hätte oder keine nennenswerten Erfolge im Berufsleben aufweist, weniger Wertvoll für die Gesellschaft ist, als jemand bei dem dies schon der Fall ist.

Diesen Gedanken weitergesponnen erleiden alle 50...more Ninni Holmqvist entführt uns in "Die Entbehrlichen" in eine Welt, in der man gelernt hat die Logik über die Ethik zu stellen. Was "Gut" und was "Böse" ist, wird an Hand der eigenen Nützlichkeit festgelegt. So erscheint es selbstverständlich, dass ein Mensch der zum Beispiel nicht für Kinder zu sorgen hätte oder keine nennenswerten Erfolge im Berufsleben aufweist, weniger Wertvoll für die Gesellschaft ist, als jemand bei dem dies schon der Fall ist.

Diesen Gedanken weitergesponnen erleiden alle 50jährigen Frauen (und 60jährigen Männer, denn diese bleiben länger Zeugungsfähig und somit auch länger potenziell wertvollere Mitglieder der Gesellschaft) an ihrem Geburtstag das Gleiche Schicksal: Sie werden von freundlichen Bediensteten des Staates abgeholt und in höchst komfortablen Räumlichkeiten untergebracht.

Diese befinden sich in nach außen abgeschotteten Komplexen. Wo man Tristesse und Dunkelheit erwarten würde, wird man angenehm überrascht: Wohin man in diesen Anstalten auch schaut - es ist luxuriös bis ins kleinste Detail. Schwimmbäder, Einkaufsmeilen (in denen man ohne Geld shoppen kann!) und Räumlichkeiten für Vernisagen; es ist alles vorhanden. Im Grunde könnte man es als einen "Wellness-Aufenthalt" bezeichnen, hätte die Sache nicht einen einzigen, dafür aber umso schlimmeren, Haken! Die Menschen werden hierher gebracht, um als "Organreserve" für die wertvolleren Bürger außerhalb der Komplexe zu dienen.

Als die Protagonistin des Buches allerdings schwanger wird, nachdem man sie bereits von der Außenwelt ausgeschlossen hatte, ergibt sich das erste Dilemma: Wie verfährt man mit jemandem, der plötzlich doch noch wertvoll werden könnte - aber schon einmal entbehrlich war?

Dieses Buch ist ein Ethik-Roman erster Ordnung. Stellenweise plätschert er zwar (handlungsmäßig) ein wenig dahin, aber die Lektüre wird nie langweilig. Aus der Perspektive der 50jährigen Protagonistin erzählt wird das Grauen, dass einen zwischen erlesenen Buffets und komfortablen Suiten ereilt noch einmal so schlimm, wie es ohnehin ist.(less)

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Aug 09, 2010 Misha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Misha by: The Alternative World

Shelves: 2010, novel, dystopia

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Meh. There's an interesting idea at the heart of this book, a sort of Logan's Run kind of idea, that asks "What if childless people were considered so worthless by society they just become living organ farms once they hit 50 (for women) or 60 (for men)?" The problem is the execution is so full of logical holes I kept wanting to throw the book at the wall. There are so many my head hurts just trying to think of them all for the purpose of a review.

I was also highly annoyed to be told 15 pages be...more Meh. There's an interesting idea at the heart of this book, a sort of Logan's Run kind of idea, that asks "What if childless people were considered so worthless by society they just become living organ farms once they hit 50 (for women) or 60 (for men)?" The problem is the execution is so full of logical holes I kept wanting to throw the book at the wall. There are so many my head hurts just trying to think of them all for the purpose of a review.

I was also highly annoyed to be told 15 pages before the end that I had been with an unreliable narrator all along, which just made me shout "Oh, fuck you!" at the book.

And the pacing! My god. The pacing. The book is only 268 pages but it felt like twice that. If I ever read about another fictional person making or eating a cheese sandwich it will be too soon.

I find this all quite sad, because the book started with such promise. Dorrit really had me in the beginning, in those pages before she had to go to the reserve bank unit, when she was at least mentally fighting to stay in her own home with her beloved dog and the man who almost loved her, but didn't come close enough to save her. She was feisty in those first pages, and I identified with her because I can see a possible future for myself in which I'm 50 and I've never had children or a real relationship and I'm alone with no one to care for and no one to care for me. I can see that. So the parts when Dorrit recounts being almost loved by Nils, and when she has to give up her dog, Jock, got to me. I felt those parts. But then she went to the unit and all of the color drained out of the book. As soon as she walks through the doors of the unit, Dorrit seems to lose all of the fight that made her so interesting initially. Everyone in the unit was so resigned to being "dispensable" that the narrative became like watching paint dry, and I couldn't manage to feel anything as each character gave his or her final donation. I get that it's a dystopia and it's supposed to be grim, but it bored me.

So, in sum:

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Mar 02, 2010 Joshua rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009

This was nearly a five star book for me and I don't give those out very often--probably only a few of them in the hundreds of books I've rated since starting this a few years ago. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars was because of the ending--big mistake for Holmqvist that didn't ruin it for me but it could have been a real classic dystopian novel. It was still really, really good but five stars is for the elite of the elite to me.

The Unit is set in Sweden in the near future and is a dystopia...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Suzanne (Chick with Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ninni Holmqvist's novel is compelling and disturbing at the same time. From the first turn of the page I was drawn into the futuristic world where childless women who have reached the age 50 and childless men at age 60 are "welcomed" into The Unit. A beautiful spa like setting with walking paths, beautiful gardens', wonderful food, medical experiments and body harvesting from their "residents". Our protagonist is Dorrit, a woman who never had a steady job, had a lover who lived with someone else...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Nadine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, dystopian

"The Unit" spielt in Schweden zu einer Zeit, in der Frauen über 50 und Männer über 60, die aus Sicht der Regierung und der Gesellschaft bis dahin ein "selbstsüchtiges Leben" geführt haben und keine eigenen Kinder zum Wohlergehen des Landes beigetragen haben als "entbehrlich" angesehen werden. Sie müssen ihr bisheriges Leben aufgeben und in eine geschlossene Wohnanlage übersiedeln. Dort werden medizinische Experimente mit ihnen durchgeführt, so dass sie der Gesellschaft gegenüber nun doch noch ih...more

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Oct 25, 2009 Sabiel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: women who say they would give anything for a year or two of peace and quiet to work on their writing

Shelves: read-favorites, read-fiction

A very strong four stars, and I'm so pleased! This could not have been paced more salubriously. I also finished Girl With the Dragon Tattoo recently, and I'm just loving these Swedes' plotting and pacing. (Then again, I've always been a sucker for anything remotely Scandinavian.)

I've been a rabid Dollhouse fan since the beginning, so I was already familiar and infatuated with the premise of the "serene spa-like environment*" in which inhumane, insidiously pseudo-consensual slavery takes place....more

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Mar 01, 2013 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

Brief synopsis: Dorrit turns 50 in a dystopian future Scandinavia, where people her age are politely imprisoned and harvested for parts if they've not managed to establish a family.

I wanted to love this book, because I love dystopian novels, and I've loved a couple other books with similar themes (notably Never Let Me Go and The Handmaid's Tale, two of my favorite novels). And while I liked it fine, I didn't manage to fall in love with Dorrit or her story. It delved into some themes that have so...more Brief synopsis: Dorrit turns 50 in a dystopian future Scandinavia, where people her age are politely imprisoned and harvested for parts if they've not managed to establish a family.

I wanted to love this book, because I love dystopian novels, and I've loved a couple other books with similar themes (notably Never Let Me Go and The Handmaid's Tale, two of my favorite novels). And while I liked it fine, I didn't manage to fall in love with Dorrit or her story. It delved into some themes that have some importance to me personally—if you grow older alone, without a spouse or children, is your life less meaningful and purposeful? But while the whole novel circled around this theme, I never felt like Holmqvist really nailed it. In the end, the meaning in Dorrit's life at the friendly organ-snatching prison is about her ability to establish a family, even though most of that quasi-family is one that develops by happenstance with the other men and women who are waiting to make 'final donations'. I would've liked to feel reassured that Dorrit's life had meaning and value on its own. There's a bit of this (Dorrit is a writer, for instance, and there are some suggestions that the novel is a record she's left behind). But I felt like the story was more about Dorrit building spouse-, sister-, and mother-style bonds with others.

The book also shares very little information on how society got to this horrific point, or much about how the outside world copes with the knowledge that these prisons exist. Which doesn't ruin the story, but is a little disappointing. I would've liked to have known.

There are some really lovely moments in the book. I loved Dorrit's relationship with her dog. And I loved that the descriptions of all the prison amenities (free food, a garden in constant bloom, saunas) sometimes lulled me into a feeling that the place might not actually be a bad place to end up—and then someone would lose a pancreas or something. So that was done really effectively. I was just hoping for...a bit more.
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Feb 16, 2013 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a dystopian, near-future society, childless, middle-aged artists are deemed "dispensable" and thus are imprisoned (in a luxurious spa-type atmosphere, but still) for scientific experiments, and eventually all their organs are harvested for "needed" people (i.e. younger people with kids who have careers considered more important). A powerful concept similar to a lot of other dystopian near-future stories, but well-done in a unique enough way.

The story was really about the main character, Dorr...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Pumpkinbear rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalyptic-literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm going to call this book peri-apocalyptic so that I can sneak it onto my post-apocalyptic shelf, although really it's meant to be a dystopia.

In this dystopian/peri-apocalyptic novel I'd still be safe--whew!--because even though I'm willfully unemployed, I am a mother. My single friends happily puttering away in the womb of academe would need to get cracking, however, because in Holmqvist's world, older individuals without loved ones or useful employment to speak of get shipped off to a fabul...more I'm going to call this book peri-apocalyptic so that I can sneak it onto my post-apocalyptic shelf, although really it's meant to be a dystopia.

In this dystopian/peri-apocalyptic novel I'd still be safe--whew!--because even though I'm willfully unemployed, I am a mother. My single friends happily puttering away in the womb of academe would need to get cracking, however, because in Holmqvist's world, older individuals without loved ones or useful employment to speak of get shipped off to a fabulous sort of older person amusement park (Live theatre! A recreation of Monet's garden!), where they while away the limited time that they're going to have left, since the government is now going to experiment on them and harvest their body parts to give to younger, more useful and loved people.

While I'm pretty sure I'd be bored stiff in that institution designed for my amusement, since all the author's descriptions of the daily activities of the main character, Dorrit, SOUND boring, and her friends (and boyfriend--woohoo!) are kind of snoozy, too, I LOVED how the author got her there. The sneaky justification for the kind of "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" legislation is awesome, all wrapped up in economic gain and gross national product lingo, and the way that most of the characters parroted that rhetoric made me happy--I love it when the masses buy in to evil machinations in fiction! I hate it in real life, obviously, but in fiction? Good times!

Only, in this novel, there's not really any character who's willing to go all "Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!!", and without that, the plot becomes a lot less fun. When none of the other inmates put up a big fuss over their status as lab rats and future heart donors, but instead sigh their sad sighs and head over for an afternoon at the institution's art museum, it's frustrating, definitely. But by the end of the novel, when even Dorrit, who's supposed to be our HEROINE, for Pete's sake, and who, let me tell you, has a FABULOUS reason for escaping, basically just rolls over and donates her heart like a good girl, you just have to spare her a sad little sigh of your own and then sort of think about how this exact scenario could totally happen in your own society.

And THAT'S a decent dystopia for you!(less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Phyllis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. You know that urge you have while watching a horror movie, the one that makes you want to yell at the characters to warn them of danger? Someone really should have done that with the citizens of this dystopian Scandinavian country long before the events of this book started. At least those citizens who didn't decide to get married, have kids, and/or settle into jobs that the society deemed important enough to save them from being jailed in late middle age and forced to take part in medical exper...more

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May 18, 2012 Laima rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was my pick for book club this year.

A first Novel by Ninni Holmqvist, originally written in Swedish and later translated. Shows a promising writer, in my opinion.

Picture yourself reaching the age of 50, childless, without a life partner, and who's accomplishments are not valued by society at large - you are deemed dispensable. You are brought to The Unit where you will live out the remainder of your days in comfort. The catch, however, is that The Unit is a reserve bank for biological mater...more

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May 16, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 13, 2012 Lisa Loving rated it 4 of 5 stars

Much like Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let me Go, this dystopian novel deals with the emotional lives and relationships of people slated for organ donation. Dorrit Weger is "dispensable" - deemed unnecessary to society due to being single and childless past the age of 50. Dispensable people are sent, upon their 50th birthday, to "The Unit", a reserve bank of "biological material" where they live out their brief remaining lives in relative splendor, compared to what they would have had as impoverished...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Lakis Fourouklas rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Unit by the Swedish author Ninni Holmqvist is a dystopian novel that describes a world born, one would dare say, out of a Kafkaesque nightmare.
The principal protagonist in this story is Dorrit Weger, a fifty year old woman that obviously has nothing more to offer to society, since she produces nothing, and thus she’s admitted into a unit, where she’s to donate her genetic material before she, less than more peacefully, passes away. The unit is housed in a huge luxurious building that looks...more The Unit by the Swedish author Ninni Holmqvist is a dystopian novel that describes a world born, one would dare say, out of a Kafkaesque nightmare.
The principal protagonist in this story is Dorrit Weger, a fifty year old woman that obviously has nothing more to offer to society, since she produces nothing, and thus she’s admitted into a unit, where she’s to donate her genetic material before she, less than more peacefully, passes away. The unit is housed in a huge luxurious building that looks like a microcosm that only exists in the eyes of the people who work, live and die there.
Dorrit has no idea how much time she’s left to live, since all the inhabitants are at the end of the day nothing more than human guinea pigs. The administrators of the unit, in exchange for all the luxuries that they provide to their subjects, use them for many, different, and more or less scary experiments. Thus one man can find himself all of a sudden been exposed to chemotherapy, another one can become at any given moment an organ donor, while some poor soul, though completely healthy could end up dead, so that the doctors can prove a point or put a theory to practice.
The world that Dorrit sees when she arrives there looks colorful and bright, she feels like she’s living in a tropical island in the middle of winter. Time though, as one after the other her friends will start dying, will turn this paradise into a living hell, and then she’ll be left with no other option but to escape,
Everyone is dispensable; this seems to be the mantra of the people running the unit, and she’s determined to prove them wrong. But will she make it?
This is a novel that touches a lot of the sensitive issues of our times and of the ones to come. Maybe this world is nothing but a prelude of tomorrow’s bleak certainties, the author seems to suggest, and I’m not going to disagree with her. There’s darkness all around us already. Who’s to say that there isn’t more to come?
If you like Kafka’s work you’ll surely love this book.
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Jan 21, 2012 Lainy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Blurb From Goodreads

One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries–are sequestered for th...more Blurb From Goodreads

One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries–are sequestered for their final few years; they are considered outsiders. In the Unit they are expected to contribute themselves for drug and psychological testing, and ultimately donate their organs, little by little, until the final donation. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others, and Dorrit finds herself living under very pleasant conditions: well-housed, well-fed, and well-attended. She is resigned to her fate and discovers her days there to be rather consoling and peaceful. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and life suddenly turns unbearable. Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape, and…well, then what?

THE UNIT is a gripping exploration of a society in the throes of an experiment, in which the “dispensable” ones are convinced under gentle coercion of the importance of sacrificing for the “necessary” ones. Ninni Holmqvist has created a debut novel of humor, sorrow, and rage about love, the close bonds of friendship, and about a cynical, utilitarian way of thinking disguised as care.

My Review

We are introduced to Dorrit and her journey as she arrives in the Unit and explains how she came to be there. How the people end up in the unit and what their purpose is, what they go through and the people she meets and friendships she makes. Dorrit makes a few special friendships and one develops into something more than she could ever have dreamed of.

I found the book really slow going and to be honest nothing really happened until half way through and even then it wasn't a huge oh my God, it was very gradual. Everything is explained out and we are taken through the daily ritual until some kind of routine is established. The donations and experiments, side effects, the ups and downs and how they get through what they face everyday.

Despite it being slow I actually quite liked the book. The idea is for me totally new, I have never read anything like that before and it stays with you after you finish. The end disappointed me a bit because of how it turned, an unexpected twist but some people may actually like it. If you fancy something different and don't mind it being slow paced it is definitely worth reading, 3/5 for me.(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

About:
The Unit is set sometime in the not too far off future. According to a new law, if adults cannot contribute to society in some way, they are considered to be dispensable. Contributing to society means having children or having a high demand career.

Dispensable adults are taken to Second Reserve Bank Unit for Biological Material, where they will live out the remainder of their lives donating body parts and organs, until their 'final donation'. In The Unit, they are also experimented on. Thi...more About:
The Unit is set sometime in the not too far off future. According to a new law, if adults cannot contribute to society in some way, they are considered to be dispensable. Contributing to society means having children or having a high demand career.

Dispensable adults are taken to Second Reserve Bank Unit for Biological Material, where they will live out the remainder of their lives donating body parts and organs, until their 'final donation'. In The Unit, they are also experimented on. This is all considered to be for the 'greater good'. This final donation refers to essential life sustaining organs, such as the heart, liver or intestines, etc.

Childless women are collected at age 50, men at age 60, since men are capable of producing sperm and possibly impregnating someone into their 60's. The Unit is heavily monitored, there is no privacy. The Unit is made to be as pleasant as possible, there are activities, health care and food available, all for free. Although technically a prison, a fake environment is created, parks and such, to make those sentenced there feel as comfortable as they can.

Dorrit Weger is a childless, unwed, semi-successful writer who has turned 50 years old. Considered to be dispensable, Dorrit is taken to the Second Reserve Bank Unit, where she will live out the remainder of her days. There Dorrit meets other dispensable citizens, forms bonds and develops friendships. She even finds love.

My thoughts:
I found The Unit to be a disturbing and intriguing book. The idea that at a certain age and after supposedly not having contributed to society, adults are taken off and made to live in a government facility in order to harvest their body parts gave me the heebie jeebies.

Dorrit and the others at the Unit all know what is going to happen to them, and they all have no choice but to accept it. Oddly enough, since this society has accepted this way of living, once dispensables go to live in The Unit, they find acceptance and even some comfort. In the outside world, those who haven't contributed to society are shunned and made to feel left out.

The narrative is very cut and dry here, no poetic prose or sugarcoating things, and I was very much sucked into the storyline and felt uneasy as I read. I felt bad for Dorrit, mainly when she mentions how she misses her dog. The ending wasn't what I wanted, it left me feeling a tad exasperated with the whole situation.

I do enjoy dystopian fiction and am glad I had a chance to read this one. So far this is my favorite book read in this genre. I even wound up telling hubby about this book, which in turn led to a discussion about the "what if's?".
Overall an interesting and disturbing dystopian read with food for thought.

read my full review here
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/201...(less)

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Dec 23, 2011 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a Swedish novel however, the translation of this book is pretty good as other than the strange names and places, I would have thought it was a American novel. I really enjoyed this book even though there were a few things that did not quite mesh with reality and science. This story gave the reader a look through a crystal ball into the near future in which the world overtly prefers married couples and people with children. All persons deemed dispensable are literally used for spare parts...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia

Book Description

In the not-to-distant future, Sweden has adopted some new societal norms. Those who are “needed” (i.e., work in necessary industries, produce children) live their lives normally. Those who are “dispensable” (i.e., work in marginal industries such as the arts, have not produced children) live on the outskirts of society until the age of 50 (for women) and 60 (for men). At that point, they enter the Second Reserve Bank Unit for Biological Material (or The Unit) for the remainder of...more Book Description

In the not-to-distant future, Sweden has adopted some new societal norms. Those who are “needed” (i.e., work in necessary industries, produce children) live their lives normally. Those who are “dispensable” (i.e., work in marginal industries such as the arts, have not produced children) live on the outskirts of society until the age of 50 (for women) and 60 (for men). At that point, they enter the Second Reserve Bank Unit for Biological Material (or The Unit) for the remainder of their lives. In the Unit, they enjoy a comfortable apartment, freedom to pursue their art, modern facilities (including restaurants, theaters, gardens, and shopping), and friendship with other dispensables. Although they are not permitted to leave the Unit and are under constant video surveillance, all of their material needs are taken care of. They also find something else for the first time—friendship and acceptance.

In exchange for this comfortable lifestyle, the dispensables participate in a variety of medical experiments and, when necessary, donate “non-essential” organs to the Needed. Inevitably, they make a final donation, which is permanent and irrevocable (i.e., they donate all their organs). Despite the seeming horror of the Unit, our narrator Dorrit finds it a rather pleasant place to live. For the first time, Dorrit finds herself forming real relationships and living a fulfilling life—rather than just scraping by in her falling down house with only the company of her dog and illegal lover. However, her initial enchantment begins to fade when her friends being making final donations or suffering debilitating side effects from experiments. To complicate matters further, Dorrit falls in love for the first time with a fellow dispensable—leading her to contemplate whether this way of life is really as dignified and humane as it first seemed.

My Thoughts

The Unit flips dystopia on its head by presenting a dystopic society in which everyone has bought into and accepted the new societal norms. (I’m not really spoiling the book with my description. It is all laid out in a rather matter-of-fact manner.) Dorrit and the others repeatedly remind themselves that they are living in a democracy and their donations are for the greater good. Despite some bitter resentment of fertile women, most dispensables find the Unit to be a safe haven—a place where they can fully and freely be themselves for the first time. Outside in the community, women like Dorrit were ostracized and barely able to get by. The freedom to create art and socialize with like-minded individuals is intoxicating. Ironically, inside the Unit, Dorrit begins to experience a full life for the first time.

Of course, the price of this life is rather steep. As Dorrit begins to see the effects of donations and experiments on her friends, she begins to waver in her attitude. In addition, Dorrit is not fully prepared for the reality of final donations. Yet the support and understanding of her fellow dispensables and the sympathetic staff help her deal with the sorrow and shock. It was fascinating how Holmqvist managed to make the Unit seem like an attractive option … if you just don’t think too hard about donations and such. It was easy to see why Dorrit almost enjoys her life in the Unit. It was also interesting how the staff of the Unit aren’t draconian guards or evil overlords forcing the dispensables to donate their organs. Everyone is supportive, caring and sympathetic. It was a strange and interesting dynamic—more in line with a dysopia like Never Let Me Go than The Hunger Games. (In fact, The Unit bears more than a passing resemblance to Never Let Me Go, including some of the terminology used. It made me wonder if Holmqvist was influenced by Ishiguro’s book.)

A book like The Unit raises interesting questions. How much is an individual life worth? Are some people more valuable than others because of what they contribute to society? Is the comfortable life given to dispensables a fair trade for the sacrifices they are asked to make? It was a pleasure (if I can use that word) to read a dystopia that seemed more grown-up and reasonable. Of course, that is exactly what makes this book so disturbing.

Although I found the book interesting, I didn’t fall in love with it … most likely due to the almost clinical nature of Holmqvist’s prose. I’m not sure if this was a translation issue, but I never fully got emotionally invested in Dorrit or the other characters due to the “aloofness” of Holmqvist’s writing. I was more interested in this society that Holmqvist was exploring than the characters living in it.

Note: There are a few fairly explicit sex scenes that may make some readers uncomfortable.

Recommended for: Readers who enjoy dystopias that are more sophisticated in tone and less overtly brutal than dystopias found in YA books.(less)

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Apr 30, 2011 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

During dinner the conversation moved through a range of topics. I didn’t take much part in it, I just sat there listening most of the time. Eventually they started talking about the outside world. The community. Things were changing out there. The number of childless fifty-year-old women and sixty-year-old men was dwindling significantly, and dispensable individuals were now being taken from professions that had previously been completely protected. It no longer mattered if you were a schoolteac...more During dinner the conversation moved through a range of topics. I didn’t take much part in it, I just sat there listening most of the time. Eventually they started talking about the outside world. The community. Things were changing out there. The number of childless fifty-year-old women and sixty-year-old men was dwindling significantly, and dispensable individuals were now being taken from professions that had previously been completely protected. It no longer mattered if you were a schoolteacher or a day care teacher or a welfare officer or a nurse or any other profession that involved caring for people; not even midwives were given a dispensation now; if you were childless, you were childless, end of story.

***

Dorrit Weger has just turned fifty. She is single, childless, and in the eyes of her world, utterly dispensable. Upon crossing the half-century mark, she is moved into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material, and she will never leave.

Ninni Holmqvist’s debut novel The Unit is a dystopian science fiction love story that conceptually cribs from The Handmaid’s Tale and Never Let Me Go—especially the latter. However, instead of Kazuo Ishiguro’s clones bred as nothing more than ready-made organ donors, the people in Holmqvist’s disturbing future world are pure-born individuals that simply have little to no impact on the world, and therefore have no purpose in old age other than to help others—people with defined social worth—to live that much longer. At the age of fifty for women and sixty for men, those deemed dispensable are shipped to biological material banks where they not only become organ donors for those worth keeping alive, but also test subjects for new medicines and procedures, regardless of the consequences.

It’s not so simple, though. The most significant way a person can become valued by society is to become a parent before they can be shipped away for “donation.” And as more men and women scramble to have children by any means necessary, more people have to be taken from potentially valued social- and workforce-related positions to make sure there are a steady stream of human guinea pigs available for scientific use. Dorrit has always been dispensable, but it isn’t until she finds love with another Unit inmate that her worth and the ramifications of this new social institution are explored.

I picked up The Unit on a five-hour layover in Heathrow airport, and was nearly finished by the time my flight home was ready to board. It is a quick, very engaging read that does suffer from a few shortcomings—not so much in how the book is written but in what it is at its heart. The themes Holmqvist plays around with are not new to dystopian science fiction, but the way they are filtered through Dorrit and her finding love so late in life, after having given up on the possibility of having perceived social worth, are what make it such a page turner. However, it is the manner and ease in which the premise is accepted by the characters in the book that prevents the narrative from ever feeling as if it has something real to say—some cautionary idea or thesis that it is desperately trying to give voice to.

The best dystopian science fiction is that which offers a kernel of believability—a branch or idea that ties the fiction to our world, here and now. Nineteen Eighty-Four gave us Big Brother and the idea that with a slight twist of the knife, security and surveillance could transition from protection to control to dominance; Fahrenheit 451 offered the terrifying idea that the proliferation of information could one day spiral out of control, forcing the pendulum to swing in the other direction—to limit information for the good of society; A Clockwork Orange showed the lengths it’s possible for us to go to in our efforts to “fix” what’s wrong with people, as we always seem to think we can. What these stories and The Unit have in common is the concept of protection—of enacting a dramatic measure that, for better or worse, is done with what is thought to be the best interests of society as a whole. Where The Unit differs from the aforementioned titles is that regardless of the situation, it’s incredibly difficult to imagine a world where it would ever be so acceptable to willingly submit oneself to complete organ and tissue donation at the premature expense of one’s life, and all because you weren’t a parent, or didn’t have a career that changed the world.

Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go has the same stumbling block. It presents a world where because the technology exists to clone humans, it is perfectly acceptable to murder them for their organs, thereby sidestepping the discussion of whether one human or another has more or less value simply because they were conceived in a lab. In Never Let Me Go, the humans are treated quite literally like free range cattle—capable of living their lives until someone decides that their liver or pancreas or heart has more value in the body of another. Holmqvist alters the equation by citing worthlessness in the eyes of society as reason enough to cash in one’s chips once they’ve crossed a specific line in the sand, but the same issues remain. Both books address the question of worth, but in a philosophical sense that does little to convince the reader that the world around them has devolved to such a state where the majority or politicians and leaders and voters worldwide would ever agree to allow such programs to exist. The concerns of what has brought society to its knees so dramatically as to adopt these measures are glossed over in favour of having the characters ruminate on their worth and their distaste at the world and their apparent bad luck for having wound up in their current situation.

I feel like I’m not giving The Unit a fair enough shake. It is an enjoyable read, one I’d recommend to anyone with a love of dystopian science fiction. The characters are realistic, relatable, and it is easy to feel for the hopelessness of their situation. As a character study in a world gone awry, The Unit works. I only wish Holmqvist had gone to greater lengths to explore the nature and history of a society so apparently backed into a corner as to be forced to result to truly alarming measures.(less)

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Nov 09, 2010 Cally Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 27, 2010 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shortly after her 50th birthday, Dorrit Wenger packs a suitcase of her most prized possessions, gets into a van, and checks into the Second Reserve Bank Unit. There, she and many other single childless women over 50 and single childless men over 60 are given comfortable apartments, free food at lovely restaurants, access to recreational facilities at no cost, and the opportunity to be a family to one another. The catch? Dorrit and the other � dispensables� at the unit must participate in medical...more Shortly after her 50th birthday, Dorrit Wenger packs a suitcase of her most prized possessions, gets into a van, and checks into the Second Reserve Bank Unit. There, she and many other single childless women over 50 and single childless men over 60 are given comfortable apartments, free food at lovely restaurants, access to recreational facilities at no cost, and the opportunity to be a family to one another. The catch? Dorrit and the other � dispensables� at the unit must participate in medical experiments and donate their organs to people who have children or who have jobs that make a contribution to the betterment of society. Within a few years, each resident will make a final, fatal donation.[return][return]One of my favorite aspects of The Unit was how well Holmqvist expresses the pleasures and pain involved in living alone. For example, when Dorrit explained how she felt about leaving her dog behind, she expressed perfectly how one comes to rely on a pet for regular doses of affection when that pet is your only day-to-day companion. The creators of the Unit would probably say that this affection doesn� t count and that Dorrit will be happier once she starts spending more time with other people. And the truth is, that Dorrit is happy to be surrounded by friends and to find a lover, but that doesn� t mean her previous life was miserable. Any sort of life is a mix of pleasure and pain.[return][return]Holmqvist also raises significant questions about what it means to make a contribution to society� to be needed. Is parenthood or a service job the only proper contribution? Many of the people in the Unit are artists and writers. When residents make donations, they are often told about the recipients (� a nurse with four children� or � a carpenter with three children and six grandchildren� ). The implication is that the dispensible are giving their lives for people who matter, but who decides what does matter? Don� t all lives matter? Today, we may not take the organs of people we deem unimportant, but do we devalue the lives of certain people in less obvious ways?[return][return]The Unit has everything that I look for in a dystopian novel. It asks tough questions and causes me to reflect on the values I see expressed in the society around me. It� s a story that will stick with me.[return][return]See my complete review at my blog.(less)

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Sep 04, 2010 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love me a dystopian. You all know I love me a dystopian. Even a slower paced dystopian? Well yea, even then I love me some dystopian. But sadly, in this case I wouldn’t stretch quite that far in my declarations. I fall short of adoration with The Unit, but I sure did like it a great deal. It was very well done and I enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated I would, but still it was a bit too leisurely.

My first book in translation it took me awhile to adjust to the lengthy descriptions — par...more I love me a dystopian. You all know I love me a dystopian. Even a slower paced dystopian? Well yea, even then I love me some dystopian. But sadly, in this case I wouldn’t stretch quite that far in my declarations. I fall short of adoration with The Unit, but I sure did like it a great deal. It was very well done and I enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated I would, but still it was a bit too leisurely.

My first book in translation it took me awhile to adjust to the lengthy descriptions — paragraphs and paragraphs of description and inner monologue. I’ve always been one who enjoys a story that is a bit more of show and a whole lot less of tell so this one was slightly out of my comfort zone. In fact I found myself skimming through some sections to get to the finer points of the story. I’m glad to say that once I was able to master the art of doing that without missing large chunks of the plot things got a whole lot better.

The above is said not to take away from the story as a whole, however. I did truly enjoy the story that was told. Holmqvist did a fabulous job creating the world in which Dorrit lived. I could feel the environment that surrounded her both when she lived inside and outside of The Unit. Outside everything was moving and alive, inside — sterile and structured. The Second Reserve Bank definitely had that medicinal feel to it, a very futuristic vibe. I found this interesting because the outside seemed to be exactly the opposite — old and weathered.

Filled with moral and ethical dilemmas The Unit touched on abortion and birth control, agism, sexism, and free-will. There was a very political element to the story (ie: the legislation that legalized sending people of certain circumstances to The Second Reserve Bank) as well. What I liked about that scenario was that it wasn’t a huge part of the book. Holmqvist did a fabulous job of giving just the right amount of history and information as it related to the law and it’s creation without becoming preachy or overbearing. In fact, nothing about this story was preachy and there was certainly plenty of places where it could have gone off the rails in that direction.

This would be the perfect book for a book club — filled with potential for excellent discussion and debate. It’s thoughtfully written and characterized and makes the reader stop and think. Further, it has great potential to take the reader outside of their comfort zone. An understated and straightforward book, The Unit should definitely make any dystopian lover’s list.(less)

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Aug 11, 2010 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Unit is at once a painful book to read and yet remarkably absorbing. It is so believable that it horrified me. Once I finished reading it, I felt like a swimming pool inflatable with all the air let out, left to bob hopelessly under a darkened sky. The story (which is a first person narrative) tells us about Dorrit who has just turned fifty and is taken to the unit. Any woman who gets to the age of fifty and any man who gets to the age of sixty without having any dependents are classed as di...more The Unit is at once a painful book to read and yet remarkably absorbing. It is so believable that it horrified me. Once I finished reading it, I felt like a swimming pool inflatable with all the air let out, left to bob hopelessly under a darkened sky. The story (which is a first person narrative) tells us about Dorrit who has just turned fifty and is taken to the unit. Any woman who gets to the age of fifty and any man who gets to the age of sixty without having any dependents are classed as dispensable. This means that if they do not have any children or a partner to say that they are needed and loved then they are required to give themselves over to the unit. There are units all over Sweden.

When Dorrit arrives at the unit, she is angry and frightened but surprised by how much luxury they are given. The unit is a vast and considerable dome in which the residents have their own bedrooms and kitchenettes. There is a cinema, a library, a theatre, a garden that is constantly in bloom, a state of the art sports facility and multiple restaurants. Each resident is given the opportunity to spend their free time pursuing their own personal interest. Dorrit’s friend Majken is an artist and is planning an exhibition of her work in the unit’s gallery. The unit is highly civilised but in every possible place there are cameras and microphones. Everything that the residents do and say is observed and monitored.

Every month new dispensables arrive and are given a welcome party. For the first four days in the unit, the residents are given free time to adjust and find their equilibrium. Then they go through a day of rigorous assessment. They go through every possible test, blood, tissue, DNA, and that is followed by a gruelling fitness test. The data is used by the scientists and researchers in the unit to assign experiments for the dispensables to take part in. Some of the experiments are risk free about measuring levels of fatigue after exercising for example, some of the experiments are psychological and some are quite frankly terrifying – like being used to test the effects gases used in chemical weapons.

The dispensable go through various stages in their time in the unit. Each person ends their days with their final donation. That is to say their vital organs are taken and given to a candidate in the outside world who needs them. The people in the outside world are the “needed”. They serve society in one way or another.

I could go on explaining how things work but this review would be dissertation length. The other defining thing about this society is that the oppression of women is illegal. I know that sounds like a wonderful thing but remember this book is dystopian and even something that should be empowering can be distorted and corrupt.

One of the things that really struck me about this book is that you could see that this concept had so much potential to actually happen. As people in our society age, we become burdened by the need to look after them. This book offers one way to eradicate that problem. It frightened me in its believability. If one chooses to live without a family, without a partner, one is effectively condemned to incarceration (leading to abuse and death) at a set date. What vile horror!

The other thing that struck me is that Dorrit comes to think of the way the unit treats them as humane. I was reading it thinking, yes, they do treat you well, but you need to ask why! The dispensable become institutionalised.

Overall, The Unit is powerful, beautifully written and conceptually amazing. Not an uplifting read but certainly a thought-provoking one. (less)

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Jun 23, 2010 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Jim by: Books On The Nightstand

I read The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist cover to cover last night. I rarely do that. The book takes place slightly in the future in Sweeden where social and political changes, passed into law, stipulate the "dispensibility" of people based on whether they have children or not by a certian age. Those without children are deemed "dispensible" . At age 50 for women, and 60 for men, these aging Sweeds are ushered to a government run "Unit" where everything they could want is provided free of charge: mode...more I read The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist cover to cover last night. I rarely do that. The book takes place slightly in the future in Sweeden where social and political changes, passed into law, stipulate the "dispensibility" of people based on whether they have children or not by a certian age. Those without children are deemed "dispensible" . At age 50 for women, and 60 for men, these aging Sweeds are ushered to a government run "Unit" where everything they could want is provided free of charge: modern well designed condos (albeit windowless), beautiful bio controlled parks, shops and restaurants that where there is no money exchanged,art galleries,cinemas, state of the art health facilities, etc. The catch: the government scientists and doctors take from you what they need when they need it : kidneys, corneas, livers, hearts, lungs, etc.

I was intrigued by the way in which Ninni Holmqvist leads the reader into how this new nationally embraced system occured and became reality. The echoes of history ring loud and true and , for me, acted as a reminder of how close any society is to slipping into grossly misguided directions by the persuation of a well spoken and convincing few. THe ideas start as subtle suggestions and slowly but gradually creep into bills and pieces of legislation. The reasons at the time seem real and logical to the gullible masses who are more concerned with their SUV's and wide screen TV's then they are with the laws that govern them. They choose to say "Well what can I do about it" and go about their business, not voting , listening to only one view point,ignoring the others, possibly pontificating on Facebook, but leaving it at that. This book is about society as well as the intimate beautifully written story of a woman reflecting on her life and questioning its relavance and meaning. Holmqvist creates multi dimensional characters and has the reader hooked almost from the start. It is man vs. society, and man vs. man at its best.

The premise of The Unit is frightening but all too real in its possibilities. The immediate hold this story takes is in large part due to how easily the reader can imagine something like this actually happening as Patriot Acts are passed , Gay Rights bills are defeated, and politicans capture more and more constituents on moral platforms. It is easier to get a voter to the booth with social and moral touchstones then it is with economic or education ones. The issues seem less complicated: no reading or studying necessary. The Unit deftly explores this fascinating social scenerio and we are lucky enough as readers to be able to watch these well written characters interact in this frightening maze. (less)

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Feb 17, 2010 Kay Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (ISBN: 978-1590513132, Other Press) is a Dystopian book. Be prepared for a novel that seeps silently into your psyche and gives you the chills. This is one unusual and absorbing story that is not easily forgotten.

Dorrit Weger lives in a future society where if you’re a woman that’s not considered to be the cream of the crop, neither holding down an important job nor needed by anyone, you’re considered of little value after you reach your fiftieth birthday. You become...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: folks who enjoy dystopian fictions

Dystopian novel, The Unit, is subtle and chilling. A very fast read. What it really reminded me of was Never Let Me Down. Children are valued above everything, as they are what gives you the right to stay alive, rather than becoming a dispensable and entering the Hospital for Biological Material. There's a subtle weave on male/female relations: it is illegal for men to do physical tasks for a woman, like changing out the snow tires, or chopping wood. The sexes are equal, and the housewife is gon...more

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Jan 22, 2010 Alyce (At Home With Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Unit is sure to become a modern classic in the dystopian fiction genre. I was moved by this haunting story about Dorrit, a fifty-year-old woman who is forced to become a living donor because of her age and position in society.

Dorrit is a quiet, unassuming lady who is a bit of an intellectual and loves to write. Her main fault is that she has not become a productive member of society - in other words, she hasn't married or had children. Therefore, in this society, her life is dispensable. She...more The Unit is sure to become a modern classic in the dystopian fiction genre. I was moved by this haunting story about Dorrit, a fifty-year-old woman who is forced to become a living donor because of her age and position in society.

Dorrit is a quiet, unassuming lady who is a bit of an intellectual and loves to write. Her main fault is that she has not become a productive member of society - in other words, she hasn't married or had children. Therefore, in this society, her life is dispensable. She is taken to the Unit on her fiftieth birthday and will live there for the remainder of her days.

Ironically, in the Unit Dorrit develops closer relationships than she's ever had before. She is now faced with the certainty of death by donation and medical experimentation, at the very time when she finds that she has the most to live for.

The Unit is a fascinating story dealing with issues of end-of-life ethics, eugenics and morality. What would happen if lawmakers decided that only the most productive people had the right to freedom; or life? Taking the ideas of eugenics and social engineering to the extreme, The Unit delves into a dark, and hopefully improbable, future.

It was easy to relate to Dorrit, in that I am someone who is more of an introvert with a love of books. I do have children, so under the rules of their society I would be considered "productive," but the story still hit close to home since the intellectual-loner type of people were the most represented segment of society in the Unit.

It was sad to think of how much art and intelligence would be missing from such a society. How many artists and scientists have completed their life's work at the age of fifty?

In a lot of ways The Unit reminded me of George Orwell's 1984 with the constant supervision of authority figures, and the imposition of the government's will on the people. Those who live in The Unit do not have a moment of privacy - everything they say or do is recorded.

If you like dystopian fiction such as George Orwell's 1984, or Logan's Run, then you will probably like this book.(less)

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Dec 12, 2009 Tammy marked it as to-read

Booklist Editor's Choice Selection Winner 2009

ABOUT THIS BOOK
One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in pro...more

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