In The Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

It’s been a while since I’ve found a book I could not put down. This one broke that spell.

Klune is a master of storytelling. He grabs story elements you'd expect and then changes them to be something more, something different. Victor Lawson, raised by the android Gio, creates new potential and loses what is dear to him. This book might have you seeing some themes of Pinnochio or Frankenstein, but it moves past them. Victor doesn’t just create life, he gives it. Truly. The sweet, naive little vacuum Rambo is as free as the sociopathic nurse, Nurse Ratched. And when Hap is found and brought back to life, Vic offers him the same freedom as the others.

I found myself staying up much too late at night, clinging to page after page, mentally begging Klune to offer me the same hope he mentions Vic is. A story of love beyond creation and friendship that touches on what it is that makes us human. Klune created a masterful story that captured my heart and mind.

I highly recommend this crafty book, but you might want to make sure you have the time and energy to not put it down. Or you might end up dreaming about the story like I did. Fall in love with the grumps like Hap, the naive like Rambo, the ironic like Nurse Ratched, or the humanity of Victor. But try to enjoy the journey and be reminded how human we all are.