In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would 'unwind' them. Perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES.
Unwinding: the process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive. Unwinding is now a common, and accepted, practice in society.
Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker.
Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs.
Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth as part of his family's strict religion.
Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance.
If they can survive until their 18th birthday, they can't be harmed - but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, is wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away...
"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 thought-provoking, well-paced read that will appeal widely"School Library Journal, starred review
"A breathless tale turning pages for teenage boys, as it challenges not just where life begins and ends, but what it means to be alive." Educ8 magazine
"a powerful, shocking, and intelligent novel... It's wonderful, wonderful stuff." The Bookbag
"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
Also by Neal Shusterman:
Everlost
Everwild
Everfound
UnStrung
Unwholly
Unsouled
Undivided
There were parts of this that didn't quite gel with me, but knowing folks who support those who blow up abortion clinics, I found some of the thinking that led to the decision that teens up to 18 could be unwound or harvested for parts, scarily plausable. The Tithes were even more believable and their attitude to the process reminded me of suicide bombers.
Several reviewers have commented about a chapter that is nightmare fodder and I really have to agree, it's a short, snappy chapter and reads so smoothly that you find yourself drifting along with it until your brain reminds you what you're reading about. You'll know it when you get there, the copy I read opened at it.
It was interesting to see how Conor, Risa and Lev develop along the story and how what happens to them changes them leaving you with the question of how many of the unwound could have been changed if people wanted to change them.
Scary, plausable on certain levels, choppy in bits but worth reading. Definitely not a bedtime read.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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10 April, 2013:
Finished reading
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10 April, 2013:
Reviewed