Unwind
Neal Schusterman is an author who likes to make you think. I don't mean like he writes stories with twists and turns and mysteries to figure out. I mean he likes to write books that makes the reader look into themselves and their society, subtle messages that open up big questions about life.
It's hard to not compare Unwind to the Skinjacker trilogy, because whenever you mention that you're going to read one it inevitably leads to the conversation of which title you liked more. Well, I can't answer that. They're so different, and so similar, that for me there wasn't a better or worse. They both contain a boy and a girl at about the same age, and a younger boy they meet up with. They both have these fantastical stories that only Shusterman could come up with. And they both turn the topics back on you and open up your mind. That's pretty much where it ends. Skinjacker's is a little bit lighter... not younger, just not quite as serious. Unwind is a serious book. Some of the scenes in this were very hard to read, because I just hurt. I wanted to put the book down and pretend that I hadn't just been confronted.
Despite this being a book that tackled one of the most controversial issues in our country Shusterman didn't choose sides, which I thought was great. It wasn't about lecturing you on whether or not you should be pro-choice, or pro-life. This was a play on one of those 'what if' scenarios. And it was done so well, from the unwinding to the storking, that it will stick with me for a very long time.
Anyway, he's a brilliant writer. He's got a wonderful sense of telling stories. I'd love to read the book where Nick, Allie and Lief meet up with Conner, Risa and Lev. Hey, it could happen!
