January 4, 2011

Unwind - Neal Shusterman






Young Adult
Pages: 352
UnwindPublisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Release Date: November 6, 2007

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.

Holy cow! I feel broken. This book shook my world. I feel like whatever tiny piece of innocence I had left, has been completely stolen by this story. This was weird and crazy and it just doesnt fit into any adjectives I can come up with.

There must be something very wrong with Neal Shusterman's imagination to allow him to think of this premise and the awful future that is Unwind. But it certainly is a very right kind of wrong. In fact I would say it's an absolutely brilliant kind of wrong. How is that possible? I Have no idea. I swear, the book ripped out a part of me.

Excellent writing, gripping and perfectly executed plot, and nauseating events sum up to this mind-blowing, utterly thought-provoking novel. Characters were masterfully developed. I loved the vividness of the settings and the personal the story-telling feels even though its told in third person. And I'd have to give the author like 100 extra points for originality and creativeness.

If you want a terrifyingly shocking story of an awfully realistic possibility of a future, or if you just enjoy having your  mind blown out of proportion, this is for you.


8 comments:

  1. I loved this book too. Especially the process of unwinding towards the end which is mind-blowing!

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  2. This sounds incredible! I'm just getting into dystopian type novels, so it sounds like this one would be a good one to go to.

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  3. This book totally blew my mind. One of the first dystopias I ever read. Really stayed with me.

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  4. I recently read Schusterman's Bruiser and liked it a great deal. I've heard nothing but positive feedback on this one so I'm definitely going to add it to my wishlist.

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  5. Yay, fab review! I loved this too, but it seems to be one of those understated books that should be HUGE. It scared the crap out of me when I first read it, not in a horror movie way but in more of a what-if-this-ever-actually-happens way.

    You know that scene, the one that is so shocking you have to put the book down for a sec? Yeah, that is hardcore stuff. Amazing.

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  6. YES! I know right? The one about Roland? SHIT! That was really something.

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  7. Your review blew my mind! I have got to read this. I'd like to see for myself the weirdness and brilliance of the book. I've never come across a Neal Shusterman novel, but I will definitely keep my eye out now.

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  8. After reading Unwind, I have become obsessed with Shusterman. He's good. Scary good.

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