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A review by chaoticbookgremlin_
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay it’s been 2 days and I genuinely don’t know what to rate this
UPDATE: It’s about a week later… the fact that I seriously cannot stop thinking about this book, the strong reaction it pulled from me (I mean I had a really bad panic attack during THAT scene but that’s the biggest reaction a book’s gotten out of me in months), and just the way it makes you reallyyy think about parallels between today’s society and the dystopia depicted in the novel… this is in fact a 5-star read.
Also I read through some 1-star reviews and the anger I felt and the intense need to vehemently defend the book kind of solidified my rating. “The premise was too unbelievable”? “This kind of thing would never happen in real life”?
The entire point of the book is a “what if?” scenario, an image of the absolute worst-case scenario in the wake of the conflict between pro-life and pro-choice. It’s not meant to be realistic. It’s meant to be an exploration of the flaws and failures on both sides (I say this as a solid pro-choicer). It’s meant to promote the idea of autonomy and human rights by presenting a world in which these ideas are taken away.
The scariest thing about this book, I feel, is that it’s not as fictitious as it first appears to be. Some of this could happen. Some of this <i>has</i> happened. I don’t mean the part about performing live dissections on teenagers. I mean the psychology behind such actions.
After doing some very basic research, I discovered the three articles that inspired Shusterman to write this book (I first saw it on Wikipedia, then a few other sources saying the same thing):
1) A scientist that claimed that "within our lifetime, 100% of the human body will be viable for transplant" without rejections.
2) A report on teenagers residing in Britain labeled as "feral" and how some opinions on those a report on teenagers residing in Britain labeled as "feral" and how some opinions on those teenagers include an indifference in having them killed for the sake of society. Combined with the first article, this is where the inspiration for unwinding comes from.
3) An article studying the trends of voting in America and the number one topic that determine's a candidate's vote is the voter's view on abortion. This is the “why” behind unwinding.
As you can see, bits and pieces behind the act of unwinding are already present in today’s world - just not the entire picture. As well, the very act of a second American Civil War fought over reproductive rights does not seem far-fetched at all - in fact, it is something I would, unfortunately, not be surprised to see within my lifetime.
I did not mean to go off on a rant on why this novel is not at all “unbelievable” and “will never happen,” but I guess this is why I finally had to give this 5 stars.
UPDATE: It’s about a week later… the fact that I seriously cannot stop thinking about this book, the strong reaction it pulled from me (I mean I had a really bad panic attack during THAT scene but that’s the biggest reaction a book’s gotten out of me in months), and just the way it makes you reallyyy think about parallels between today’s society and the dystopia depicted in the novel… this is in fact a 5-star read.
Also I read through some 1-star reviews and the anger I felt and the intense need to vehemently defend the book kind of solidified my rating. “The premise was too unbelievable”? “This kind of thing would never happen in real life”?
The entire point of the book is a “what if?” scenario, an image of the absolute worst-case scenario in the wake of the conflict between pro-life and pro-choice. It’s not meant to be realistic. It’s meant to be an exploration of the flaws and failures on both sides (I say this as a solid pro-choicer). It’s meant to promote the idea of autonomy and human rights by presenting a world in which these ideas are taken away.
The scariest thing about this book, I feel, is that it’s not as fictitious as it first appears to be. Some of this could happen. Some of this <i>has</i> happened. I don’t mean the part about performing live dissections on teenagers. I mean the psychology behind such actions.
After doing some very basic research, I discovered the three articles that inspired Shusterman to write this book (I first saw it on Wikipedia, then a few other sources saying the same thing):
1) A scientist that claimed that "within our lifetime, 100% of the human body will be viable for transplant" without rejections.
2) A report on teenagers residing in Britain labeled as "feral" and how some opinions on those a report on teenagers residing in Britain labeled as "feral" and how some opinions on those teenagers include an indifference in having them killed for the sake of society. Combined with the first article, this is where the inspiration for unwinding comes from.
3) An article studying the trends of voting in America and the number one topic that determine's a candidate's vote is the voter's view on abortion. This is the “why” behind unwinding.
As you can see, bits and pieces behind the act of unwinding are already present in today’s world - just not the entire picture. As well, the very act of a second American Civil War fought over reproductive rights does not seem far-fetched at all - in fact, it is something I would, unfortunately, not be surprised to see within my lifetime.
I did not mean to go off on a rant on why this novel is not at all “unbelievable” and “will never happen,” but I guess this is why I finally had to give this 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Minor: Miscarriage