This is an interesting take on the hypothetical - "What if everyone knew exactly how long they lived?" The book is primarily relationship-focused using the dystopian situation as the context. The characters were a little flat but it was a fun read. This book seemed inspired by the 2020 pandemic in its exploration on how change in society can become political and personal at the same time. Additional notes: Summary: Around the world, boxes with a string inside appear for everyone over the age of 22. On subsequent days, people that turn 22 also receive the box. In the span of a few months, researchers discover that the length of the string corresponds with a person's lifespan. Shorter strings live shorter while longer strings live longer. Society forms a division between short strings and long strings. The story revolves around several characters. Maura and Nina: Maura has a short string while Nina has a long string. Nina, a meticulous editor, feels like a knife has been thrown at her structured life. She loves Maura but struggles with how to handle the situation. Maura joins a short string support group that takes place in a local private academy. Amie and Ben: Ben, a rising architect, has his life unraveled when his former girlfriend discovers his short string and leaves him. He joins the same support group. In a thought exercise, the group is told to write a letter. Amie, a schoolteacher and sister of Nina, discovers his letter. The two begin anonymously corresponding under titles "A" and "B". They discuss the repercussions of Ben's short string. Amie has chosen not to look at her string. Later in the book, Nina and Maura travel abroad to take advantage of their limited time together. Amie and Ben are given tasks to take care of their Nina and Maura's apartment. Ben recognizes that Amie is "A" and hesitates to reveal himself in worry of rejection. Hank: Hank, an emergency room doctor, is exposed first hand to the chaos the strings brought to the world. Upon learning of his own short string, he decides to join a short string support group. At impulse, he decides to join the support group with people with more time left than him. It looked like a happier place. He befriends Maura, Ben, and other members. He quits his job and focuses on the short time he has left. Jack and Javi: Jack and Javi have formed a close friendship during their time preparing for the military. Jack comes from a prestigious family. He is joining the military out of family pressure. Jack's uncle, Anthony Rollins, is vying for presidency. Javi is from a immigrant family with a vision of being a part of something bigger. Anthony Rollins, a long stringer, runs a campaign against short stringers in order to win votes. He promotes the STAR initiative that forces new military recruits to disclose their strings and stop short stringers from receiving high clearance. Jack has a long string while Javi has a short string. They decide to switch strings to their benefit. Jack avoids active combat while Javi can obtain the role of his dream. Reaction: I was hoping that there was more explanation behind the strings. While it takes away from the core concept, it would be interesting if the strings were dynamic and could update periodically based on the character's actions. Multiple POV books are hit or miss for me. I personally felt this one was a miss as some characters were far more interesting than others. The connections between all them were not as satisfying as I would like. For example, some of the coincidences where the characters happened to come across each other felt unnatural or contrived. I really liked the Amie and Ben storyline and I wouldn't mind it being its own book. (read less)

This is an interesting take on the hypothetical - "What if everyone knew exactly how long they lived?" The book is primarily relationship-focused using the dystopian situation as the context. The characters were a little flat but it was a fun read. This book seemed inspired by the 2020 pandemic in its exploration on how change in society can become political and personal at the same time. (read more)

Mehhhhhhhhhhhh. The author had a lot of fun imagining this world and tying the people together (no pun intended) but it was just a bit flat to me, and too sappy.