UnWholly by Neal Shusterman (#2 in Unwind Trilogy) Release Date: August 28, 2012 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Genre: Young Adult Dystopia ISBN: 978-1442423664 Source: Bought
Thanks to Connor, Lev, and Risa—and their high-profile revolt at Happy Jack Harvest Camp—people can no longer turn a blind eye to unwinding. Ridding society of troublesome teens while simltaneously providing much-needed tissues for transplant might be convenient, but its morality has finally been brought into question. However, unwinding has become big business, and there are powerful political and corporate interests that want to see it not only continue, but also expand to the unwinding of prisoners and the impoverished.
Cam is a product of unwinding; made entirely out of the parts of other unwinds, he is a teen who does not technically exist. A futuristic Frankenstein, Cam struggles with a search for identity and meaning and wonders if a rewound being can have a soul. And when the actions of a sadistic bounty hunter cause Cam’s fate to become inextricably bound with the fates of Connor, Risa, and Lev, he’ll have to question humanity itself.
Rife with action and suspense, this riveting companion to the perennially popular Unwind challenges assumptions about where life begins and ends—and what it means to live.
UnWholly, the long awaited sequel to Unwind by Neal Shusterman has finally arrived and this #2 New York Times Bestseller was definitely worth the wait.
Neal Shusterman is a world building genius and his writing style is oh so captivating. It is clear that Shusterman took his time getting every moment in UnWholly just right. Every single line is carefully crafted and it is the most enthralling and thought provoking string of words you will read all year. Shusterman continues to shower the readers with imagery and detail, every bit of it you’ll thirst for after reading UnWind. And the PSAs will make your heart skip a few beats. It is as if one has fallen down the rabbit hole into an entirely different world. Except, the fascinating part about this journey is that this world is essentially a possible exaggerated future of our world. “No?” you say? Yes. Shusterman includes real life present day articles that correlate with the topics at hand, abortion and abandonment in UnWholly, just as he did in Unwind. Never say never. You haven’t seen creepy until you’ve read UnWholly.
This can be best described with the words straight from the page, our “eyes can see the world.” Funny what one sees when their vision is adjusted. Shusterman opens our eyes to what is coming if we as a society do not straighten up. Does a sick society get so used to its illness that it can’t remember being well? Well, what Shusterman has created here is a story about what it means to be whole as an individual, as a family, and as a society and what happens when it all falls to pieces, literally. The pieces have fallen and UnWholly is putting them together in the most magnificent way.
We all concluded unwinding and storking to be fascinating but UnWholly raises the bar that Unwind set, giving us even deeper dips on the rollercoaster than the first. Believed the kicks couldn’t get more intense? Think again. Just when Connor, Risa, and Lev have just barely caught their breath, they are thrown off course and forced to reevaluate once again who to trust and depend on for help in the fight for their lives, literally, their lives. Because even sanctuaries aren’t safe. What happens then? Pandemonium. And every unwind has their own form of resisting a repeat of that pain… lucky for us, those effects ripple in ways other dystopias drown trying to reach.
Be ready to fall for the unwinds all over again. The character development for those old and new is superb. It’s as if no question from Unwind has been left unanswered and even more concerns that went over our heads were addressed. New characters have been intertwined with familair characters in the most organic way which is ironic considering one these characters is anything but organic. Society just wants them to think that he is. See, that’s the thing about individuality. It can’t really be defined. And when it can, it will still be used against the source. Good intentions mean absolutely nothing in this world. Which brings us to the question, what exactly is being kept out of history books, “for the greater good” and who determines what is greater? UnWholly poses so many questions. UnWholly unveils the unimaginable lengths people go to live in their false truth, live their lies and force the world to. In this world, there are two lies and one truth. Finding that truth proves to be a greater task than Connor could have ever imagined.
UnWholly rises above rejection, fear, the impossible. UnWholly unveils the human heart in a way that shines high above the rest. UnWholly encourages its readers to take ahold of the power they have in the present for the future despite their past, doubt required. Ah, present. The unwinds were given the gift of life by a greater unknown and the older generation, mere human beings want to take that gift away, one to keep all for themselves. Who will soldier on? Who is willing to take back what is theirs? Find out in UnWholly, one of the most riveting reads of 2012 and one of the most powerful books of our time. If you start one trilogy this year, let it be Unwind.
UnWholly by Neal Shusterman is in stores now.