Book Review: UNWIND by Neal Shusterman

Unwind (Unwind #1)
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publication Date: November 6, 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-fi

Summary on Goodreads:

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

My Thoughts:

This story takes place in the United States somewhere in the near future. After a civil war--known as the Second Civil War or the Heartland War--fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 years old to be unwounded--taken to "harvest camps" and having their body parts harvested for later use. The reasoning was that, since 100% (actually 99.44% taking into account the appendix and "useless" organs) was required to be used, unwinds did not technically "die", because their individual body parts lived on. In addition to unwinding, parent who are unable to raise their children to age thirteen for retroactive abortion can "stork" their child by leaving it on another family's doorstep. If they didn't get caught, the "storked" baby then becomes the other family's responsibility. (Wikipedia)

Most of the times I checked the reviews first before buying a book, but there are times that I go by instinct alone. The first time I saw this, I knew that it is something I will surely enjoy so I downloaded the sample in my Kindle. I have to say, this book is engrossing, I was instantly on the verge of my seat  up to the last page of the book sample. Due to some unavoidable reasons, I wasn't able to buy this book sooner, and I wasn't able to continue reading until yesterday! I am a bit moody and it's hard to go back to the book I once set aside, no matter how good it was that time. So I admit, I still waited until I was in the mood to continue. And now, I am a bit regretful that I didn't finish it sooner, because I have to say this book is brilliant! The second time I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. I was so engrossed to the story, and once again, I was on the verge of my seat (oops, my bed literally).

I learned to love the characters not only Connor, Risa, Lev, but also Cyfy, Hayden, Emby and the Admiral. They were perfectly crafted which made them realistic to me. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control that's why they decided to send him to the harvest camp for unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state and a victim of shrinking budget and is not talented enough to be kept alive. Lev on the other hand is a "tithe"--raised by his religious parents for the sole purpose of being unwound. These characters along with Cyfy, Hayden, Emby, and the rest of the unwinds have their own stories to tell... each sent me a feeling of despair, pain, anger, sadness, compassion and love. I pitied them, I sympathized, and I hoped for them. Many times, I held my eyes to keep myself from crying. I was moved. 

From time to time, I find myself thinking about the choice I have if I were on their shoes. What if I was one of those teenagers to be unwounded? Would I rather choose to be killed and die whole than have my body parts harvested to use by other people? And with the society who sees the "unwinds" as trouble and unimportant, would I choose to be partly great than to be entirely useless? And what if someone I know or love is in the same circumstances? The thought of seeing someone I love go through unwinding made me feel cold and numb inside.

Truly, this book is engrossing, thought-provoking and ultimately compelling. Some says this book is gruesome and terrifying--maybe because it tackles issues on abortion and contains some parts that are somewhat distressing. I admit I was a bit shocked while I read the part where the unwinding process is being done. It was so vivid and I could almost picture the scene entirely. That part was mind-blowing. 

I am also impressed by the pacing of the story, the turn of events were unpredictable and it made the book more exciting and intense. It was surprisingly good.

Over all, I think this YA Dystopian Novel is a must-read. I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it. 

"In a perfect world mothers would all want their babies, and
strangers would open up their homes to the unloved.
In a perfect world everything would be either black or white,
right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference.
But this isn't a perfect world.
The problem is people who think it is."(Unwind)

My Rating: