Review: UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman
(Unwind #2)
Review by Maggie: September 6, 2012
Published: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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I felt about UnWholly the way I felt about this season of True Blood.

I kid (and shamelessly take advantage of any opportunity to use an Alexander Skarsgard gif). But for the majority of the season, I was banging my head against the wall and yelling, "Stop trying to make Arlene happen!" And I'm pretty sure ifrit is Arabic for "waste of fucking time." But then just when I'm ready to wipe my hands of the show, it finally wraps up the extraneous storylines and gives me what I really care about -- Eric, Pam, Sookie. By the end of the season finale, I was completely reinvested in the story and anticipating next season.

Likewise with UnWholly...

Shusterman introduces three new characters who take up a good chunk of the novel with their background and development. While the characters weren't uninteresting, they felt like Unwind redux. Starkey is a less likable version of Roland, Miracolina is Lev 2.0 (or as I liked to call her, Tithe-1000), and Cam... Cam is a whole 'nother beast. Literally. Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "I came here for Lev. Bueller? Bueller?" The first half of the book felt like retread and what I did see of Connor, Risa, and Lev either annoyed me or wasn't enough. At one point, even Shusterman's writing started to grate on me. After he specifically mentioned Aquafina and Nike, I wrote in my notes, "WTF is this product placement? The most advanced technology exists and they still drink Aquafina's bottled sewer runoff?!" I actually like Shusterman's writing style but at this point in the story, I was so uninvested and detached that only nitpicking kept me engaged.

And then all the tedious groundwork came together and Connor, Risa, and Lev started acting like Connor, Risa, and Lev again. It's not that there was a lack of action earlier in the story, but this time, I actually cared and the tension increased tenfold. By the end of the book, I was sucked back into the story and eagerly awaiting Book 3.

Aside from the new characters, another aspect that may make-or-break UnWholly for you is the new development regarding the Unwind Accord. We learn more about how and why it came to be, which was a plot hole in Unwind. However, by filling that plot hole, it shifts the focus away from the abortion debate, which sets up a great storyline for Book 3 but also does a bit of a disservice to the issues raised in Book 1. For me, UnWholly lacked some of the heart and guts of the original, but still raised interesting questions and made me think. Shusterman also writes taut, tension-filled action scenes like few can. I'll definitely read the next book, but go in with modified expectations.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars.

Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Reviewed by Maggie: August 31, 2012
Published: November 6, 2007
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Goodreads • Buy at Amazon • Kindle • Book Depository





Over dinner last week, I tried to explain the plot of Unwind to my friend Amy, a nurse.

So there was a civil war over reproductive rights.
Okay.
And to end the war, both sides agreed that there would be no more abortion.
Got it.
But then parents can decide to have their kids unwound at the age of 13.
Wait, what?
The technology exists so that every part of the child would go to another person.
How the...?
Including their skin, major and minor organs, etc.
...
A lot of kids whose parents have signed their unwind order run away.
Go back to the part about abortion being illegal but killing grown kids isn't.
Why are you asking a perfectly valid question? So anyway...

I don't blame her. The concept of Unwind requires a suspension of disbelief, but I think that's also what makes it successful. If there's one issue that can turn seemingly normal, rational people into fucking lunatics, it's abortion. Abortion in rape cases? No, because legitimate rape doesn't lead to pregnancy. Lunacy. Discussing abortion outright is like staring straight into the sun. It won't go well. However, this dystopian future created by Neal Shusterman provides the perfect filter to discuss abortion and other topics.

I really enjoyed Unwind. Despite being an "issue" book, the issues don't take precedence over the story. I didn't stay up til 5am after driving from San Diego because of some pro-life or pro-choice message. I stayed up because I wanted to know what happened to Connor, Risa, and Lev. This is a suspenseful thriller about survival and, ultimately, children's rights. I think teens would love this book because the story deals with the powerlessness of being under 18. Parents, regardless of their own shortcomings, can choose a child's fate. Some seal their kids' fates by raising them in a belief system that requires them to sacrifice themselves. I thought my mom trying to get me to give 10% of my high school paycheck to the church was bad. Tithing in Unwind... much worse.

I love that this book made me think about organ transplants, adoption, life, death, Roe, Wade, all while I was biting off my nails because I was worried about the characters. Is someone going to sell out Connor and Risa? Where is Lev?? Unwind is a story that made me glad it wasn't plausible because the depiction of human nature was. It was a compelling, fascinating read, one that I'm glad I didn't read earlier because the wait for the sequel would've driven me out of my mind -- more so than Megan Whalen Turner already has. I'm ending this review now so I can finally get to UnWholly.

Note on the audiobook: I listened to the first half of the book on audiobook and the narrator was fantastic. I especially liked his interpretation of CyFy, who could've easily been a confusing character but wasn't.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.