A Review of Unwind by Neal Shusterman (Review by Andrew Langer)

A Review of Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Review by Andrew Langer

Fair warning, this book/review is slightly macabre (look it up), so just be aware of that.

 

            What was going on inside Neal’s head when he came up with the idea for this story will always be a mystery to me. Unwind, written in 2007 by Neal Shusterman, is a novel set in a dystopian world where abortion is illegal. Instead of aborting, parents must keep their child alive from conception all the way to age 13. After age 13, the parents can elect to have their child unwound. It’s like organ donation, but involuntary… (I’ll keep it at that.) This process saves countless other lives through the sacrifice of one, and every unwound part is kept alive. This is the justification, saying that no part ever “dies,” so the person is still technically alive. After they turn 18, the person is no longer at risk of unwinding and now lives in a world with no medical problem too bad to treat. Have brain damage? Get new brain parts from an unwind! Did your heart stop? No problem, just get a new heart!

            

            The book follows 3 teens that are all set for unwinding. Connor is unwanted by his parents and willingly given to the government for unwinding. Risa is an orphan who is not talented enough to be kept alive. Levi is a tithe, an extra child from religious parents destined to be unwound. The three find each other while escaping and go on a journey that will hopefully save them and dozens of other children from unwinding.

            The dystopian world that Shusterman created is both enthralling and horrifying, and I was instantly drawn in. What makes unwind so intriguing is the moral conflict that the reader faces. No matter what you believe, is unwinding a better alternative to a peaceful death or uncaring parents? Is an unwind dead, because all their body parts are still alive right? They’re just not together. Should parents have the right to have children purposefully for sacrifice (in this fictional world)? If you lost an arm or a leg, would getting one from an unwind be an acceptable solution? This book raises some very interesting questions that I think are important to consider. While the dystopian society portrayed in Unwind is unlikely to happen, what will the outcome of the abortion debates be?

            Besides these abortion issues, the plot of Unwind is full of twists and turns, moral conflicts, and betrayal among the three. Understandably, none of them trust each other, and this causes problems for their eventual plan of escape. It's just one of those absolutely gripping books that you somehow finish in 3 days. Therefore, I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting adventure and a thought-provoking read. I don’t have a strong stomach for things like this, but I was able to read it, and the book keeps the details to one chapter that is skippable without ruining the plot. 9/10, and a very intriguing read.

Comments

  1. MateoDecember 6, 2023 at 4:42 PM

    Hey Andrew, looks like an interesting novel. I don't typically read dystopian novels but this one looks like one that I would give a try. Nice post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ian MDecember 11, 2023 at 11:03 AM

    I read this book a while back and remember really liking it. Specifically, I enjoyed the dynamics between the 3 main characters and where their actions eventually led them. Like you, I found the moral dilemmas this book proposes intriguing. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LindenDecember 17, 2023 at 10:10 AM

    Hi Andrew, this book sounds horrifying and intriguing at the same time, definitely something I would like to read. I'm a big fan of dystopian, and this book looks really good. Nice review!

    ReplyDelete

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