Unwind by Neal Shusterman
In the near future, after a long bloody war between pro-life and pro-choice armies, the United States amended the constitution to ban abortion but allow parents to “retroactively abort” a child between 13 and 18 years old as long as the child was “unwound” in a process that allows the child’s parts to be given to others, like organ donations. In this way, the child isn’t actually killed, but lives on, a technicality that appeases both sides.
You’d think that few parents would opt to unwind their child, but when it’s legal, and even sometimes perceived to be moral, many do. Mostly unwinding is used to rid society of troublesome, unhealthy, or otherwise unwanted or “abnormal” teens, but some parents choose to sacrifice a child as a religious “tithe” that’s considered sacred.
Connor, Risa, and Lev are three such teens who we meet in Unwind (2007), the first in Neal Shusterman’s UNWIND “Dystology.” Connor is a troublemaker whose parents have given up on him and (unexpectedly for Connor) turned him over to the authorities for unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state who was never adopted and is being sent for unwinding so the government can give her spot to a younger orphan. Lev is a tithe who doesn’t exactly look forward to his fate, but has been raised to believe it’s noble.
When the three teens meet each other on the way to their unwindings, Connor and Risa decide to run and resist. They just need to hide until their 18th birthdays and then they can be free. That sounds easier than it is, though, because the juvenile authorities are always hunting for escaped “unwinds” and very few citizens are willing to help an unwind escape. Lev, who has accidentally thrown in his lot with Connor and Risa, isn’t ready to seek freedom, but doesn’t want to turn in his new friends, either.
Neal Shusterman
If you can get past the extremely implausible premise, Unwind is a gripping story. The plot is fast-paced and exciting with lots of twists and turns. The three protagonists (and many other soon-to-be-unwound kids we meet along the way) are likeable and relatable (and some are not). My YA daughter and I listened to the audiobook together and we both felt invested in their lives and concerned for their futures.
I mentioned the implausible premise but at the moment that I’m writing this review, I’ve actually read through the third UNWIND book and can report that as the story progresses and more of this society’s history gets filled in, it becomes easier to believe in unwinding.
Shusterman uses the unwinding laws and procedure to implore us to think about topics such as abortion, adoption, parents’ and children’s rights, and also more abstract topics such as personality, temperament, and self-identity.
The audiobook, produced by Brilliance Audio, is narrated by Luke Daniels. Daniels is one of my favorite readers and he mostly does a great job here, but I have to say that some of his voices were a little annoying in this story. But I still recommend the audio version.
I read that, and had trouble getting past the premise! My daughter loved it, though.
My daughter also loved it. We finished listening to the last book last night. We were satisfied with the ending but, again, a significant amount of suspension of disbelief was required.
The premise sounds like it was dreamt up by a parent having a really bad day!
I’m glad he makes it work, and I do think teens would grasp this concept more easily because it fits with their world view that adults don’t value/understand them. I mean, I’m oversimplifying…
That’s funny, Marion!
I agree with your assessment about teens. I had the same thought. The book is aimed at them and I’m sure they’ll have an easier time believing in it than adults will.