This was an incredibly thought-provoking story. A concept like this, where everyone in the world has the ability to figure out how long they will live through a tangible material object, can only be told best in multiple perspectives, and there was a wide variety in the character personalities themselves. Some were long-stringers, some short-stringers, some who refused to look, some who took advantage of their string to get to the top, etc. I loved how the storylines of some of the characters intermingled yet remained predominantly separate. My favorite thing about this book was the deep dive into the dark consequences and impact this event would have on society particularly about the corruption and bigotry. A dark thing to like, yes, but it really made you think!