In a society where unwanted and troublesome teens are salvaged for their body parts, Connor, Risa and Lev continue to fight against the system that would 'unwind' them. Thanks to their high-profile revolt at the Happy Jack Harvest Camp, people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding.Ridding society of so-called troublesome teens might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question and a new law passed. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests, not to mention the illegal 'Parts Pirates', that want to see it not only continue, but expand.
Connor, Risa and Lev each struggle to rescue as many AWOL teens as possible and offer them sanctuary. But life at the Graveyard is hard, rivalries bubble under the surface and the cracks are beginning to show.
And then there is Cam, a teen who does not exist. Made entirely out of parts from one hundred other 'unwinds', Cam is a 21stcentury Frankenstein, a rewound, struggling to find a true identity and meaning, and a place in society. But when a sadistic bounty hunter who takes "trophies" from all the 'unwinds' he captures starts to pursue Connor, Lev and Risa, Cam finds his own fate inextricably bound with theirs…
Praise for Unwind:
"Following in the footsteps of Jonathan Swift, Shusterman uncorks a Modest Proposal of his own…" Booklist
"Gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller… The issues raised could not be more provocative - the sanctity of life, the meaning of being human - while the delivery could hardly be more engrossing or better aimed to teens." Publishers Weekly, starred review
"a powerful, shocking, and intelligent novel... It's wonderful, wonderful stuff." thebookbag.co.uk
"This is the kind of rare book that makes the hairs on your neck rise up. It is written with a sense of drama that should get it instantly snapped up for film." The Times
I liked UnWholly a bit more than Unwind. While the first book seemed to be more focused on the individual characters, this sequel looks at the bigger picture. It does this by alternating the POV much more often, and by inserting advertisements and public service announcements about unwinding. The laws regarding unwinding teens have been changing. Now 17 year olds are excluded, setting thousands of teenagers free. But it's also created a shortage of body parts and organs, increasing black market activity and kidnappings. Connor is now in charge of the resistance and he's trying his best to save as many kids as possible, while trying to stop unwinding for good. However, in UnWholly the world has seriously gone crazy.
Instead of being primarily from Connor, Risa, and Lev's POVs, we get the addition of Starkey, Miracolina, Cam, Nelson and a handful of chapters from other minor characters. This may seem like a lot of perspectives to keep track of, but it never gets confusing. It's actually quite necessary to get a feel for all of the havoc taking place, and since the characters spend a lot of time separated from each other. Just like in the first book, everyone is connected in UnWholly so it's not just a jumble of random characters.
I couldn't buy into the world that the author was selling in Unwind, but in UnWholly I can definitely see how something like this could stay in place once it arises. It actually made me feel quite uncomfortable when I noticed that some of the arguments for unwinding make sense. I certainly don't agree with the process as it is, but I also can't condemn it completely since it is helping people. This is a common theme throughout the books, and it's actually something that comes up near the end thanks to some sleuthing by Lev and Connor. I do hope that they find what they're looking for.
UnWholly was another thought provoking addition to this series. It's much more focused on human nature than the first book, but it's no less exciting or engaging. It was interesting to me how something good can end up being really bad, how something seen as bad can actually do good. The gray area is firmly where this book resides.
