Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
Originally reviewed on February 2012
Rating: 4 out of 5
I had very high expectations for this book, mainly because of the hype surrounding it. I probably did it a disservice going into this with that in mind because while it was a great book, I expected... well, I didn't know what to expect. More? I just didn't get the sense of fulfillment I'd have wanted when I finished it.
I applaud Shusterman for his originality and for daring to write on the value of life. I think his main concept, unwinding, was what ultimately drew me to this. Just the thought of parents sentencing their children to this might make it hard to believe at first, but then I think about what history has already shown us on what we can do, and maybe, just maybe, it's not that unbelievable at all.
The backstory of each of the characters was also heartbreaking. They decided to defy what fate had in store for them. This story propelled us into the lives of characters who, in the end, were really just trying to make their place in a world that has already cast them out.
We were also able to witness the chilling process of unwinding. It's hard to imagine anything like it.
The only thing I have against this novel is the ending. I felt that it was a bit of a disappointment after everything, and more could have been done. I still had a few more questions that weren't cleared up, but hopefully they will be addressed in the next book.
I'll be waiting for the next installment.
This review first appeared on Goodreads.
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