Two teacher friends recently read and recommended Neal Shusterman’s young adult novel Unwind. It’s a fast-paced adventure story, and it raises some interesting questions, but it’s not quite up there with The Hunger Games.
After a second civil war (fought between pro-life and pro-choice forces), politicians in the United States adopt a compromise: Women may no longer terminate pregnancies, but parents may have an unwanted child “unwound” between the ages of 13 and 18. These unwindings take place at the nation’s (euphemistically-titled) harvest camps. By order of the law, 99% of each unwound child is donated to people in need of organs, limbs, eyes, teeth, and brain tissue.
The novel revolves around three characters: Connor (a trouble-maker whose parents have decided to unwind the problem), Risa (a ward of the state who is selected for unwinding because she demonstrates no exceptional skill), and Lev (a slightly younger teen who is a “tithe,” a child chosen by his family for unwinding as a religious sacrifice). When Connor learns about his parents’ plans for him, he runs away, meeting Risa and Lev as he dodges the police.
The three ultimately make their way to a safe house, but that is just the start of their journey.
Shusterman’s novel raises more issues than much young adult fare, but it’s not the strongest writing that I’ve encountered in the genre.
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