Unwind

Title: Unwind

Author: Neal Shusterman [Website][Facebook][Twitter]

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Series: Unwind Dystology, Bk 1

ISBN: 9781416912040

Length: 335 pages

Obtained: Library copy

Why this book?:

It was January's book for a new book club I'm joining.

Comments:

I realized this book is dystopian and immediately thought oh, boy, here we go.  Then I began learning the history of this world and how things are done, and I was shocked.  Shocked and horrified.  I'm going to try to explain with a minimum of spoilers, but I'm not sure that is entirely possible.

The background for this story made no sense to me (still doesn't)... how a group of people (pro-choice and pro-life, both) could agree that "unwinding" a child could be a reasonable solution to the issue of whether abortion (or capital punishment, though that is not a focus) should be permitted.  And the reasons for why a child might be "unwound" in this world are just as abhorrent.

But this isn't the only incredible difference in this world.  Other craziness includes "clappers" and what they represent.  And aging, fanaticism, organ donation, adoption, inequality (social, racial, etc.), and in some way - big or small - any other number of issues that exist today but have transformed to fit this new world.

So I was trying to come to terms with how outrageous this world is while following Connor, Risa, Lev, and others as they cling to survival through a version of an underground railroad... and a literal railroad as the case may be.

I couldn't decide if I liked or disliked the book; I was caught up pretty quickly.  I hadn't heard of this series before being told it was the next book being discussed.  The lady who recommended it was telling us how she told someone they had to read it and then he was telling everyone how they had to read it, and so forth.  I'm not sure I would go that far, but I was certainly telling several people about the background.  And it's certainly a book that lingers in your thoughts for some time after finishing.  Anyway, I'm seriously contemplating reading more in the series.

Shusterman is also the author of Challenger Deep which has received such wonderful reviews in the professional journals.  And I have an ARC copy of Scythe, Shusterman's November 29 release that I plan to read.