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Unwind (Unwind, #1)

Neal Shusterman

Start date: June 10, 2014

Discussion: BUDDY READ: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

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BUDDY READ: Dystopian/Sci-Fi

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* Dystopian/Futuristic/Sci-Fi
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What Members Thought

Jan 04, 2014 Vanessa Gayle ⚔️ Fangirl Faction rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, wish-list-physical, favorites, own-ebook-read, reviewed, horror, young-adult, dystopian, science-fiction

I don't think that I can put into words the love that I have for this book, but I will certainly try my best. This book is special. Unique. Without a doubt, this book is like nothing that I have read before. I wasn't really certain what to expect when I picked it up. To be simply honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. The concept sounded compelling, but I still had my doubts. Needless to say, those doubts have been dashed and slashed to pieces.

What you have to understand about Unwind I don't think that I can put into words the love that I have for this book, but I will certainly try my best. This book is special. Unique. Without a doubt, this book is like nothing that I have read before. I wasn't really certain what to expect when I picked it up. To be simply honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. The concept sounded compelling, but I still had my doubts. Needless to say, those doubts have been dashed and slashed to pieces.

What you have to understand about Unwind is that it makes you think. It makes you think hard. It is not one of those light and airy reads and you can blow through and sigh, and then move on to something new without another thought. Unwind lingers in your brain for days after you have read it. It is full of really heart wrenching gray areas. Nothing is ever black and white in this book. You see things happen from so many different points of view.

This theme of this book in centered about Pro-Choice and Pro-Life and what really constitutes "living" and consciousness and when life truly begins. There is no real way for me to describe the way that this book made me feel. I mean, there are really SO MANY feels going on. The amazing thing about this book is the way that it makes you question everything you thought you knew and felt. Everyone has their own stance on this particular issue. I am no different. While reading this book, I found myself questioning the rights and wrongs of each side of the issue. I mean, this book seriously got into my head.

What I liked
I loved reading this in different points of view. I love books that do this on some level. It is sometimes imparative to see things from the other person's point of view to really get the story right in your mind. When things are one sided then it leaves room for prejudice. This book totally satisfied this problem with all of the different points of view.

These characters are intense. They are not all that they seem to be. They are complex and they all bring something very important into the story. The chemistry between all of the different characters is wonderful. All of their interactions felt well paced and natural. The dialogues were great. Nothing that was said sounded out of place.

The pacing in this book is really quite perfect. Nothing felt like it was rushed into, and nothing felt to be happening too slowly. Everything just syncs up flawlessly.

The absolute best thing about this book is the way that it makes you think and question things. This book makes you look at difficult things from another perspective. There is so much to contemplate.

What I didn't like
There is nothing bad that I can say about this book. It has so many awesome things going for it. I have been thinking about it all day and I can't think of a thing that needs improvement. I will say, however, that I was thinking that something could have been added into the story. Even if just mentioned somewhere in the book. With so many unwanted children in the world, I find it strange that child trafficking didn't come up in the book. Since there are so many more small children than before the war, there are that many more children for child traffickers to prey upon. It seems almost too easy for them in this world that Shusterman has created. I know that it is another important issue that doesn't really tie into the issue in the story, but it did cross my mind more than once while reading the book.

Would I Recommend It
In a heartbeat! Yes! I will be honest and say that this book is probably not really for the faint of heart. I personally had a hard time reading a specific scene in this book because it is so horrific and heart wrenching. And I am usually tough as nails. All of that aside, this book is outstanding. It it thought provoking and it makes you feel something real. ...more

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May 12, 2010 Lacey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was a serious eye opener for me. I've never read a book that quite made me feel like this one. Could you imagine getting betrayed by your own parents and be sent to be "unwound"? In other words, they take apart every piece of your body and sell it away to someone who might need it, whether it be if someone broke their arm or if someone wanted to change thier eyes! Scary to think of isn't it?

Unwind starts out introducing three characters who are about to be sent to be uwound. Connor, th ...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Alexandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

There are no words to justify this book. Hands down the best book I've read since... I don't know, The Hunger Games maybe. It's what I think dystopian should be; not just about how terrible and shocking the world in the future is, but how real the issues are and how they got there. How relatable they are because we're facing the same issues now. (As much as I adore THG, we all know it's quite unlikely to ever happen.) Granted, I sincerely doubt that this solution to the war was entirely plausibl There are no words to justify this book. Hands down the best book I've read since... I don't know, The Hunger Games maybe. It's what I think dystopian should be; not just about how terrible and shocking the world in the future is, but how real the issues are and how they got there. How relatable they are because we're facing the same issues now. (As much as I adore THG, we all know it's quite unlikely to ever happen.) Granted, I sincerely doubt that this solution to the war was entirely plausible - I know they later said that it was meant to be a joke and everyone just accepted it to end the war - but still, I like to hope people would've had revolted against it much sooner once they realize how awful it is.

This is a psychologically disturbing book, the kind of horror that doesn't result from graphic descriptions or senseless, brutal murder, but something worse: the cold, calculated, indifferent one. As one character in the book said, I would have rather been a victim of a crime of passion than go under the knife of a surgeon who treats murder just like any other routine procedure and does it while talking about football or whatever sport it was they were talking about (I was too busy being horrified by the scene to pay attention).

I love every single character in this book. Even the kid that was the villain didn't deserve what he got, and by the end of it Connor has become my personal hero. I especially love the scene where he chose to go to his Unwinding with dignity - that scene was powerful. And speaking of, the romance was so subtle yet amazing at the same time, and it just goes to show that you DON'T need love triangles or epic declarations of love to make romance work. Because I believed in this romance much better than most other "epic" romances in YA novels. It's not on the forefront at all, but that isn't to say it isn't great especially considering the desperate circumstances. The romance portion is just right considering the premise. And they made me cry. A lot.

The writing style is simple, not flowery or full of symbolic imagery and all that superfluous stuff, but it's gripping. It gets the job done. Sometimes it's most effective BECAUSE of its conciseness and to the point style. You can say a lot with very few words, it turns out.

It's difficult to get through this book because you experience so many emotions throughout and you need to deal with them. The last few pages especially were particularly emotional, and there are a lot of other amazing scenes, crazy twists that can make you both laugh and cry, sometimes horrified, and just. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY, GUYS JUST READ IT OKAY. I could go all day on this. ...more

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Apr 25, 2014 Noella rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: apr14-elementals-chl, own-physical-copy

Unwind was definitely a crazy thriller ride, with plenty of twists and revelations to make my heart and stomach lurch. The book begins with the lives of three teenagers sentenced to be unwound converging on a highway. Connor was a troublesome teenager who had been signed away by his parents, Lev had been donated by his parents as a form of charity and Risa was sent to be unwound as facilities could no longer support her. (view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Michelle rated it liked it

I borrowed Unwind from a friend so I put it on top of my list since it is a borrowed book. I almost quit reading a couple of times but not because of the writing. The story is sad and a little scary. The author did what he aimed to do and had me questioning everything. When Roland was unwound, it brought tears to my eyes. The author did a wonderful job. I don't know.. ...more

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