Unwind (Unwind, #1) by Neal Shusterman

Unwind is a 2007 science fiction novel by young adult literature author Neal Shusterman. It takes place in the United States in the near future. After the Second Civil War or the Heartland War, was fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 to be unwound—taken to "harvest camps" and having their body parts harvested for later use. The reasoning was that since 99.44% of the body had to be used, unwinds did not technically die because their individual body parts lived on. In addition to unwinding, parents who are unable to raise their children to age 13 for retroactive abortion have the option to "stork" their child by leaving it on another family's porch. If they don't get caught, the "storked" baby then becomes the other family's responsibility.

Pros: excellent characterization, original ideas (unwinding, stoking), complex plot
Cons: written in present tense (jarring to read), simplistic writing (definitely a younger teen novel)

“The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of co...nception until a child reaches the age of 13. However, between the ages of 13 and 18, a parent may choose to retroactively ‘abort' a child... on the condition that the child's life doesn't ‘technically' end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called ‘unwinding'”

The Bill of Life is the foundation of Neal Shusterman's novel, Unwind. Three children are about to be unwound for different reasons. Connor has become an unruly child. Risa is a ward of the state and caring for wards is expensive. Lev is a religious tithe. When Connor runs from the authorities, his path crosses that of other unwinds, all trying to survive until their 18th birthdays.

The book is equal parts social commentary and horror - because everything that happens is perfectly plausible. The body parts harvested from the teens help keep other people alive, and with a higher quality of life. But even that has a cost as these parts have ‘memories' of their own.

The characters develop throughout the story, doing things that match their maturity at various points in the book. The climax is stunning, and when you finally learn how unwinding happens... I haven't been so chilled by an idea in quite some time.

My only problem with the book dealt with the fact that it was entirely written in the present tense. I found the transitions between dialogue (which I'm used to reading in present tease) and narrative (which I'm used to reading in past tense) would bump me out of the story. It was especially noticeable when a past event was being narrated. One of my favourite aspects of the novel was storking. I won't explain it as its ‘fun' to learn about and it's a highly original idea.

If you want to get a teen boy reading, or want something fun and creepy for yourself, this is a fantastic book.

Rating: 4.5
Rounded up at 5 stars

I am glad I read this book as an adult. I would not have understood it or gotten out of it as much if read earlier in my life.

What a refreshing take on such a controversial topic. Set in the dystopian future, Neal Shusterman's characters grapple with the topic of abortion and childcare. While not a one-for-one depiction of the reality of the pro-life or pro-choice arguments, the book's central question asks the reader to imagine life at the extremes, taking into account what it means to be living and if it is possible to live in a world where people (and topics) are not black-and-white, but rather, muddy and complicated, where both groups can exist together without war or hatred. The author doesn't take a side on the debate of abortion, but rather points out different takes and, ultimately, says that he (through his characters) doesn't know the answer.

While this book starts slow, the end is what ultimately earned this book the 4.5 stars from me, especially the last chapter.

Quotes:

“She thinks about the days before the War, when unwanted babies could just be unwanted pregnancies, quickly made to go away. Did the women who made that other choice feel the way she felt now? Relieved and freed from an unwelcome and often unfair responsibility . . . yet vaguely regretful?
...
Which was worse, Risa often wondered—to have tens of thousands of babies that no one wanted, or to silently make them go away before they were even born? On different days Risa had different answers.”

“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.”

“You see, a conflict always begins with an issue - a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn't matter anymore, because now it's about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.”

“People aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness all our lives.”

“Maybe it's the best answer of all. If more people could admit they really don't know, maybe there never would have been a Heartland War.”

I finally got around to reading this book after being nagged by a friend to read it for months and months. I'm so glad I did! Unwind explores a lot of interesting (and very plausible) situations, and the changing perspectives makes it a very easy read. I really enjoyed the narratives from characters you only met once, like a cop or a teacher. It's almost like a thousand different voices telling you how they see it to finally create the entire picture. It's a great narrative device. I'll definitely be continuing this series.