Book Review: Unwind

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shustman

Genre: Young-adult fiction, science-fiction, dystopian
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for 
Young Readers 
Publication date: Novemeber 7, 2007

Synopsis: 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. Read more ... 

Review: It is no mystery in my house how amazing I thought Unwind by Neal Shustman, was. During the time I was reading the novel, and for weeks afterwards, I was continuously gushing about it. So much so that every time that I began to relate another tidbit, or remark on its pure awesomeness, the family member I was talking to was like, ‘NOT THIS BOOK AGAIN!?!’ Umm, yes? I guess I will just have to relate my feeling regarding this incredible work of dystopian fiction to cyberspace now. 
  

First off, the premise of this novel is just great. Although I had a slightly difficult time believing a civil war would develop over the pro-life/pro-choice debate, Shustman did such a terrific job at world building that it became believable. I cannot highlight enough how well I thought this society was thought out and planned. In novels with a society that is different from our present one, authors rarely take the necessary time to make their world come to life. Of course there are some, like J.K. Rowling, Margaret Atwood or Suzanne Collins, where much planning goes into the creation of the world, but I find this is rare. Neil Shustman can be added to this list of authors and should be commemorated on his world building in Unwind. I loved how thought out it was, and the different aspects, from the reasons why someone could be unwound to the problem of unwanted children that were now forced to be born, and the government’s response to certain issues brought forth in the novel and the issues that developed for those who received donated organs. It was terrific and made the novel seem very realistic.

Shustman did a wonderful job with his characters as well. The three main characters were each development well, and interesting. I loved how the novel showed multiple viewpoints of the unwinding process, both from those being unwound, going to be unwound, and those who have been recipients from the unwinding process. This added much more depth to the novel and understanding. Additionally Shustman explored the emotions of the three main characters, how they felt about their unwinding sentence and the reason behind it. When I first read the synopsis I thought the only reason a teenager would be unwound was because of their parents' decision/bad behaviour. It was so interesting to see the multiple motives from bureaucratic to religious, in which someone may end up being unwound.

This novel was horrific and repulsing, as most dystopian societies tend to be. But, this is probably the most fascinating aspect of the novel for me though – how disgusting I found the idea of children being unwound, and the societal acceptance of it. It was a fast paced and exciting novel that offered a very in-depth look into this society and made me reflect on our current way of life. Sometimes dystopian novels focus on one population’s, or even person’s experience in the society, and I always wonder and question about how other members of the community feel and experience the world around them. The world building and multiple perspectives of characters provided by Shustman enabled the reader to gain a real feel of a world in which unwinding was an accepted reality.  

Warning: This book will repulse and captivate you, at the same time.

You might also enjoy: The Hunger Game trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Gone by Michael Grant, or Never let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

What to look forward to from Neal Shusterman: UnStrung (Unwind #1.5) on July 24, 2012 and UnWholly (Unwind #2) on August 28, 2012

My Rating: 5.0/5.0