‘Strings’ by David Estes

5 stars!

Captivating and impeccably well-written, ‘Strings’ follows the story of Pia, a 16-year old girl with strings attached to her body in 15 places, as she works with her father, Gio, in his isolated workshop inside a massive and mysterious facility, designing and building miniature technology.  This is the only life Pia has ever known.  She does not remember a time before she and her father had these strings; these strings that can control their every movement.

When the facility unexpectedly removes special memory-blocking chemicals from her nightly dose of drugs (via the strings) Pia starts to remember her past; her mother and childhood friends.  As management introduces other changes, Pia’s whole world changes and she becomes unsure of who to trust. 

There is never a dull moment, between rich world-building, descriptions of every-day living with strings, and a clever heroine who questions everything.  With ‘Strings,’ Estes has flawlessly executed a brilliant futuristic sci-fi re-telling of ‘Pinocchio.’

Thanks to author David Estes for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.