Review Detail

Shusterman’s Unwind is a tale both disturbing and provocative one. It challenges ideas that may seem far-fetched at times and not pertinent to the issues of our time, but we soon learn through the many characters that this dystopian holds more relation to our lives than that meets the eye and provides a glimpse into a future that may not be so unrealistic after all.

In a time where teens loose the right to their bodies and can be signed away to be sold in parts in a process called “unwinding” where your body is still alive and exist “in a different state”, we meet Conner, Risa and Lev. Conner is your typical rebellious teenager whose had one too many fights than his parents can handle. His actions cost him the right to a life and the right to his body parts. Risa lives in a state home where she’s outgrown her use and her elders decide she can serve mankind better in “a divided state” than a whole one. Finally, Lev is a tithe—someone whose spent his whole devoted to the moment where he sacrifices his body for the prospect of greater good and God. In a sequence of actions, our three main characters meet and unite with a common goal.

Shusterman gives us a peak into a world we may be headed if human ethics and reason continue to be overshadowed by greed and ignorance to the consequences of war. I commend this author for choosing to stand on a side which belongs to neither the pro-life or pro-choice argument but one that considers both and has faith in morality and humans than the opinions that lead to violence or war. I can’t emphasize enough how there were many moments I kept thinking hmm, this sounds like the result of the world we live in now.

The characters are fully-realized and know what they want and even when they don’t, they know what they believe in—it just takes a few of them time to figure it out. Mind you though, this book kept me guessing until the very end. So, it is just as much plot-driven as it is character-driven.

To sum up my final thoughts, this book was dark and it’s one that lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve finished the last page. It’s not one that’s easily forgettable and with so many twists and thought-provoking plots, how can I not give this one 5 stars?! I will definitely be checking out all of the other books by this amazing author.