Book Spotlight: UnWholly

Photo by: Paul Cheng 

In what seems to be a very close likeness to reality Neil Shusterman's UnWholly joins its predecessor UnWind as being the Young Adult version of an all out Pro-Life and Pro-Choice War. 

Even while I was reading the first book - Unwind - it was hard for me to come to terms with the reality that the book was presenting. 

In a (Dystopian) future after the Heartland War which is basically a Pro-Life and Pro-Choice war, the Unwind Accord is signed. This law states that a life cannot be terminated upon conception. However, parents of a child have a choice to 'Unwind' them before they reach the age of 18.




Unwinding the child means that every piece of that child will be surgically removed and will be transplanted to other people who need the parts. Just think of it as being an organ donor but they don't need to wait until you die before they take your body parts. In this sense the child is not dead but is in a 'divided state' and 'lives' through other people. 

Pretty out there right? 

Not so out there as you might think since author Neil Shusterman actually got his inspiration from a scientist who claims that within our lifetime 100% of the human body will be viable for transplant. It was this coupled with news of teenage riots in Britain and the very strong opinions of people regarding abortion that became the stepping stones to Shusterman's award winning 'Unwind'. 


For me- reading the first book (Unwind) I felt this gnawing feeling of an unanswered question. Obviously Unwinding is a crazy and inhumane idea even if the characters you come across the book have different opinions and feelings towards it, you just know that you don't want to live in a world where Unwinding is considered as an everyday norm; So which is better-is it abortion? This was something I could not accept since I do condone abortion. So I was really torn after reading the first book since I felt that the question of: Which is better unwinding or abortion?- was not answered. 

That was why I was so glad when in book 2 - UnWholly-I found my answer there, there was a line in the book that was so obvious you would realize that you are a foll not to have figured it out on your own. The line went: 

"The nation was tearing itself apart over pro-life and pro-choice but completely ignored the problems of the kids who were already there."  

This was actually a rushed photo shoot but I think we nailed it. That's actually me! 

Yes- kids, teenagers get messed up. They get confused, they make bad choices, they screw up but as parents you are not supposed to give up on them. As parents you should pull out all resources and do everything in your power. 

Even the impossible and difficult cases of troubled teenagers have humane and acceptable ways of dealing with juvenile delinquents but you never, ever give up on them. 

Sometimes we get too preoccupied with the future, we become too preoccupied with our mistakes that we forget about the present, we get blinded and we do not see what is right there in front of us. Our own children- whom we are supposed to nurture and protect. 

The human race is doomed once the day comes where in we make the choice to Unwind our own children. 


Okay so now that I've gotten my thoughts about the first book (Unwind) out - let's move on to the second book- UnWholly. 

It was a good thing that the book started with a list of definitions of words that are important to know in order to understand the kind of world (futuristic thriller) the book revolves in. Especially since it's been more than a year since I read the first book. 

I really didn't like the first part of the book - I think it has to do with starting the chapter with Starkey. Let me start it off by saying that I do not like Starkey, at first I could not sympathize with him because he wasn't a character you can feel sorry for. He was mean, calculating and manipulative. 

You wouldn't have guessed that he would be a villain among the good guys. You may call him a misunderstood villain but definitely he doesn't deserve any kind of sympathy. As you are reading the book you just want to punch him because you are soooo pissed with him. In other words he is an as$*0l3. So starting the book with him really contributed to how slow I was in reading the first part of the book. 

But just leave it up to Neal Shusterman to pick the pace up and keep the ball rolling with an exhilarating thriller that will just keep you flipping onto the next pages of the book. 

SO I didn't like one of the new characters - Starkey but I was very interested with Cam. You're supposed to be disgusted at the very idea of his existence, pretty much the reaction that Risa had of him but you also feel sorry for him. It's not his fault he was created it's not like he asked to be what he is. 

Cam's character is very interesting and you just know that there is so much potential for a great story to unravel with him. The thing that I wasn't too excited about was the fact that he was in love with Risa. I mean really? with all the parts that he's made up of his 'heart' beats for Risa? I mean that just has soap-opera written all over it but of course it's still interesting how that will all work out. Just not really a fan of how they were thrown in together but I guess it's okay if it works out to nail biting parts in the next book. :) 

I wasn't a big fan of the how the book was chronologically set up either, the chapters that were supposed to interlap with each other after a number of chapters were kind of confusing. Especially during the first part of the book but just like Unwind things rise to a movie action pace in the end and you will literally be rushing through pages to see what happens in the end. 

I also noticed how Shusterman was a little to blunt with killing off some of the characters (SPOILER ALERT) 

I really felt sad to loose Pastor Dan and Trace. :( 

Oh and can I also say that I love Hayden so much :) 

UnWholly was also a very important book where in the characters of all three original leads - Connor, Risa and Lev were really developed and they really grew into their own struggles. Sometimes it's hard to remember that they are just kids trying to survive a cruel world. 

The second book ends while setting everything for a climatic third book. All the pieces are in place and I can't wait to see how things unravel in the third book. 


Here are some of my favorite lines in the book: 

"The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they're told. Maybe not the first time, but by the hundredth time, the craziest ideas (become) a given." 

"The measure of a man is not how much he suffers in the test, but how he comes out in the end."