It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a novel that has kept me so captivated that I talk to anyone willing to listen to me about the book’s premise. And what a premise! The Unit, a novel by Ninni Holmqvist and translated by Marlaine Delargy, takes place in the very near future and is written so believably that its very idea is disturbing. I would not be surprised that a government would consider such a notion as the Second Reserve Bank Unit in order to make sure those who are deemed indispensable are provided body parts when theirs fail by those considered dispensable. Women enter the unit at the age of 50 and men at the age of 60, if they are categorized as dispensable. That thought alone is sad. However, it’s no secret that they will have to forfeit a kidney, a cornea or be a part of a number of medical experiments because it’s their duty to keep the indispensable alive and healthy. Unfortunately, the dispensables don’t have a choice and will never leave the unit alive because eventually their final contribution will be a vital organ.

 

The novel begins with Dorrit Weger turning 50. She is childless and has no one who depends on her. In other words she’s dispensable and is being escorted away from her rundown home to go to the unit. Make no mistake, the unit is a beautiful resort where the dispensables have a comfortable lifestyle, each person with his or her own apartment. What is unsettling, besides the fact that the grim reaper lives among them, is that they are being watched everywhere and during every intimate moment.