“Forgiving others could be difficult, but forgiving yourself can sometimes feel impossible.”
― TJ Klune, In the Lives of Puppets
Book Details:
- Written by TJ Klune
- Published: April 25, 2023
- Publisher: Tor Books
- Genres: Fantasy Fiction/LGBTQ+ Fiction/Contemporary Fiction
Back Cover Synopsis:
Deep in the heart of a peculiar forest, in a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.
The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labeled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.
When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.
Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?
My Story Behind the Story:
TJ Klune is one of those authors I have been aware of for a good while now. In the Lives of Puppets is the third book I read by him. The specific copy of the book I have is a Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition that I purchased as soon as it came out, however, as with many books, it often takes me a while before I get to them.
It’s funny how sometimes I’ll buy several books at once and then I’ll run out of steam, meaning I won’t be in the mood to read whatever books I already and instead will go off to look for other books to read.
Anyway that was the case with this book, I bought it a few years ago and then shelved it until now.
WARNING:
If you have not read this book and don’t wish to have the story spoiled please turn away now
Successful Storytelling Elements:
• Found Family:
TJ Klune is the best at writing stories about found family, characters that come together and form a community that is fiercely loyal and supportive of each other. This story is no exception. Here Gio, a robot, fathers Victor, a human, who then goes on to befriend other robots that become part of his tribe.
•LGBTQ+ Representation:
Again, TJ Klune did a wonderful job of writing a story whose main characters represent people from the LGBTQ+ community. In this story Victor is asexual and throughout the book Nurse Ratched and Rambo have several conversations and comments that come off almost as a sex ed. lesson.
•Fairy Tale Inspiration:
TJ Klune states that the main inspiration for this book was Pinocchio however, there are obvious nods to other fairy tales and stories. One that seemed pretty apparent to me was Frankenstein especially with Victor as the main character’s name and given the idea that he and his dad are both “creators” of new life. The video below shows the author discussing his book inspirations in more detail.
• Humanity:
The human heart and its unique human traits was a big theme throughout the story. TJ Klune did a wonderful job of showing the conflicting emotions that come with the human existence. I enjoyed the way he showed readers that even though our human hearts cause us emotional distress they are the very thing that make our lives worth living.
TJ Klune Video on In the Lives of Puppets:
Conclusion:
Alright well that is all for now. I hope that if you haven’t read this book that you do one day soon. If you have read I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time!
xoxo,
Angelica Sophia
Angelica Sophia 
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