***** 4 stars
This book reminded me of the pandemic because it featured a premise of a world-changing event. One morning, people all over the world who were over 21 years old received anonymous boxes that contained strings of various lengths. The longer the string, the longer their lives. When the strings are examined and found to be accurate, data is collected and a site created to narrow down the age at which a person will die.
This story follows a few key characters who deal with the knowledge the strings portend. Some refuse to open their boxes. Others, make decisions based on the length of their strings. A politician running for president tries to uproot another by revealing that he’ll live longer than his competition. A soldier switches his string with his friend after the military is only allowing long stringers to enter active combat. Support groups for short stringers are formed. One of them includes a man who finds a letter in the classroom where the group is held and begins writing back to an anonymous writer named A.
As we follow these people and how their lives are affected by the strings, we contemplate the idea of what we would do differently if we knew how long we’d live and how the world would react. I found the premise interesting and understood why the origin of the strings was never revealed, whether they were sent by God or some supernatural force, but I was hoping for a better ending. Even so, I recommend that readers give this unique debut novel a try.
I'm a retired librarian and the award-winning author of the Cobble Cove, Buttercup Bend, and SOUP THE SUPERNATURAL KITTEN cozy mystery series and other novels, short stories, poems, articles, and a novella. My books include CLOUDY RAINBOW, REASON TO DIE, SEA SCOPE, MEMORY MAKERS, TIME'S RELATIVE, MEOWS AND PURRS, MEMORIES AND MEOWS, A MIXED BAG OF CAT TAILS, and A MYSTERY BOX OF CAT TAILS.
My Cobble Cove cozy mystery series published by Solstice Publishing consist of 6 books: A STONE'S THROW, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE, WRITTEN IN STONE, LOVE ON THE ROCKS, NO GRAVESTONE UNTURNED, and ROCK A BYE BYE BABY. My standalone short story collection featuring the Cobble Cove characters is SNEAKY'S SUPERNATURAL MYSTERY AND OTHER COBBLE COVE STORIES. My Buttercup Bend series published by Next Chapter Publishing includes THE CASE OF THE CAT CRAZY LADY, THE CASE OF THE PARROT LOVING PROFESSOR, THE CASE OF THE LLAMA RAISING LIBRARIAN, THE CASE OF THE WHALE WATCHING WEDDING PLANNER, THE CASE OF THE REPTILE RESCUING RESCEPTIONIST, and the forthcoming CASE OF THE BULLFIGHTING BUILDER.
I've also written a paranormal romance, CLOUDY RAINBOW, and short stories of various genres published as eBooks and in anthologies published by the Red Penguin Collection. My poetry appears in the Nassau County Voices in Verse and the Bard's Annual. My latest book is SUITCASE STORIES, a collection of mostly mystery short stories. My forthcoming standalone gothic mystery is LOOKING FOR LUCY.
I'm a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International Thriller Writers, and the Cat Writers' Association. I live in South Carolina with my husband, daughter, and 3 cats.
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Ruff Drafts 
This book looks like a great read and would love to read in print and love books like this.
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