Unwind - Neal Shusterman

Unwind - Neal Shusterman

04/03/18

Unwind is a dystopian novel. I have read a few dystopian novels, and they all have the same vibe. However, this particular novel really caught my attention from the synopsis on the back. When I read that the book was going to deal with reproductive rights, I was immediately intrigued. I am already really into this book and I can’t wait to finish it. It got me thinking. I think the story is trying to make us question whether we should have a say over lives. It is very obvious to me (and hopefully everyone else) that what the parents can do to their children (unwinding them, killing them) is wrong. As I read, I began to think of our current battle on reproductive rights. I am pro-choice. I believe that women have rights over our own bodies. I personally would most-likely choose not to have an abortion if I found myself in that situation, but I would never judge someone else for making a decision to abort. Despite my stance on reproductive rights, I saw the law that parents can choose what happens to their children from thirteen to eighteen really screwed up.

The character development of Lev so far is really interesting to me. He obviously struggles to see past the brainwashing that has been forced on him his entire life. I was raised knowing that he would be unwound at thirteen, whereas Connor and Risa didn’t. I am interested to see if Lev will see Connor and Risa again. I wonder how else Hannah will be involved with keeping Unwinds alive.

In terms of what this story leaves out, as of right now, the points of view for the parents of Connor and Lev are left out. There are a lot of different point of views in this story, and I really like this; it helps provide more background to the story. I haven’t seen any specific races mentioned yet, except when China’s past rule of one child per family was mentioned. I think this is much more of a gender focus. Obviously, both boys and girls have the potential risk of being unwound. What is interesting is that you would think that rich people would not have their children unwound, but they do as well (for charity in Lev’s case) It just seems that the “troubled kids” are the lesser group (the kids that will be unwound).

Adolescents have to fend for themselves in this novel (as always with YA novels). The interesting twist is the role of the parents (and other adults). In most YA novels, adults are presented as oblivious to their child’s actions, or not involved. In this story, however, they are villains. Teens have to escape and hide from adults because they will die otherwise. Even the parents are to be avoided. They willingly take their kids to be unwound, and if a kid wants to escape that and live, they have to hide from their parents, and the law. This book is exciting and fast-paced (because of the action and chapter lengths). It definitely should appeal to adolescents.

Grade: A