Book Review: Unwind

Unwind

I have just finished reading “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. Wow. Talk about thought-provoking!

The book’s blurb reads:

“The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called ‘unwinding’. ‘Unwinding’ is now a common, and accepted, practice in society. – In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would unwind them. Brought together by desperation, these unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can’t be harmed – but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, is wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.”

I was intrigued by this YA dystopic tale and decided to buy it on a whim. It is one interesting book, although freaked me out a little bit at time, especially when it describes in more detail about the ‘unwinding’. If you have good imagination and/or a weak stomach, it might make you feel a little queasy, as i did!  It is a little creepy, but it is heart-warming reading about how the characters cope with the sudden chaos and danger in their lives as they try to survive.

The three protagonists are Connor, Risa and Lev, three very different teens but they all have the same problem. They are forcedd to work together to survive and many twists and turns in the novel thwart their struggles to stay whole. I found myself rooting for Connor and Risa to survive, although Lev was a little bit irritating at first, but as the novel progresses and he experiences things which are completely different to anything he has ever witnessed in his sheltered life, he develops into a more like-able character.

We also get to see inside the minds of several other characters who play both important and more insignificant roles, all of which add that extra level of understanding of what they think of society’s attitude towards unwinding.

I was quite surprised by the ending, because things don’t all turn out happily, but the happy ending element is still sort of there. I won’t give away the ending by saying anything else!

All i can say that its definitely worth a read if you’re into Science-Fiction, Dystopia or anything similar! I give it 7/10 because it is well written, the plot is suitably disturbing but brilliant, and the characters develop really well.

Book Quote of the Day

“Mallarme said that everything in the world exists in order to end in a book. Today everything exists to end in a photograph.”

- Susan Sontag

Book Review: At the Edge of Light

At the Edge of Light – Maria Peura

I have just finished reading “At the Edge of Light” by Maria Peura. It is translated from Finnish and was a random choice in my recent book order from Amazom. I found it through looking at the lists of translated literature on Booktrust’s website and fancied something different. Booktrust reviewed the book and i was intrigued by it because i havent read anything from Finland before (except maybe the Moomins!).

The novel follows young teenage Kristina as she finds her way through adolescence in the sometimes grim northern Finland. The setting is pretty dramatic, surrounded by snow, ice and the winter darkness, then the summer months bring the dangerous cracking of the river ice. Kristina is a troubled soul, but with a vivid imagination: sometimes it is difficult to work out what is real and what is in her head. It covers many topics which teens face: sex, drugs, family issues, peer pressure, mental illness, and death. She struggles living in such a harsh climate and tries to help herself by comfort eating and then not eating at all.

This book doesn’t seem suitable for a younger audience, despite the narrator’s young age, as there is a lot of references to sex, death and drugs, and i found it rather difficult to read at points. However, i suspect it could be quite educational because it interprets the struggles of a teenager trying to come to terms with growing up, while living in a tight-knit community where secrets are impossible, and in a harsh climate which can affect your emotions and well-being quite a lot.

I don’t regret buying this book because it is different and its always good to expand what you read. I’m intrigued by Maria Peura after reading this novel, so i think i will see what else she has written! I give this book 7/10 because although it is really well written and covers some interesting topics, its a little bit dark for my liking.

Book Quote of the Day

“A love of books, of holding a book, turning its pages, looking at its pictures, and living its fascinating stories goes hand-in-hand with a love of learning.”

- Laura Bush

Book Review: Love Virtually

I have literally just finished “Love Virtually” by Daniel Glattauer, and all i can say is: Wow!

It is a truly unique kind of book, written through the means of emails between the two protagonists. It creates a sort of voyeuristic feeling when reading the character’s words, like you’re a stranger who stumbled across the private communication which people have. This book lets you see people’s deepest and most secret thoughts and desires, their inner voices. It is like a love story, but it isn’t a love story at the same time, which is what makes it so interesting to read! It fits in perfectly with the digital age!

Emmi and Leo find each other quite by surprise and their correspondence is fascinating to read, with some many questions asked and so many answers found. There is always the element of “will they, wont they” as they discuss whether meeting up will ruin what they have and destroy their expectations of each other. The ending is somewhat surprising!

I really enjoyed this book because it is composed of their emails to each other, so we get to know both characters fairly well, but we still know no more than the other person. There is no external narrator, it is purely the two characters. It is translated from the German, but there isn’t a lot to remind you that it is set in Germany, but then it is set in cyberspace!

I thought it would be difficult to read a whole book of just emails, that i would get bored with the confusing emails (it isnt always clear who is writing them), or that it would take too long to get to a conclusion. However, i found myself reading through this rapidly in my eagerness to see what happened! The characters are so compelling and complicated and there is a different twist at every turn which keeps you hooked all the way through. It took me just a few hours to read this books, but part of me wished it was longer! There is a sequel, so i’ll be buying that one next to see what happened next!

I give this book 9/10 because it is simple yet complex, with a full range of emotions, and it is suitably gripping! I definitely recommend this book!

Book Quote of the Day

“To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea, though many there be that have tried it.”

- Herman Melville

Book Quote of the Day

‘What is the use of a book’, thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?’
- Lewis Carroll