Desconnexió (2007)

I enjoyed this book. It was a well thought out, unrushed, dystopian book about a topic that has once again become a political hot topic: abortion/women's health issues/pro-choice. In this story there was a war between the pro-lifers and pro-choice camp and the result was a Bill of Life. This basically supported life starting at conception without abortion options until the age of 13-18, when parents could decide to do a retroactive abortion where a child is unwound. You'll have to read the book to see what this means. There is an option where an unwanted baby can be "storked," left at a neighbor's door.

There were many good points in this story. Realistic characters, teenage angst, a strong message overall. I especially loved the end. I will look into more books by this author for sure! ( )

In this distopian novel, abortion is illegal. But between ages 13-18, a child can be unwound. It's not death, because "100% of you will still be alive, just in a divided state." But it is death because the individual doesn't meaningfully live on when they donate their organs, and these children are murdered in order to harvest their bodies. The novel explores a variety of reasons why a child might be unwound: parents choose to unwind children they don't want, religious zealots tithe some of their children, and orphans who don't excell are unwound so their body parts can amount to more than they would have as a whole person. The novel follows three unwinds: Connor, an average boys whose parents decided to unwind him; Risa, an orphan who is scheduled for unwinding to make room for new infants; and Lev, a tithe. The three run away to escape their fate.

The novel is well written and, although aimed at teenage readers, contains an important warning about the value of life. Although large scale retroactive abortion is a frightening concept, Unwind itself is neither Thriller nor Horror in genre. The story focuses on the teenage heroes' attempt to survive and evade detection. This is not a novel about disembodied kids who live on while their body parts are donated to tens of recipients; it is a novel about kids trying to avoid being murdered. There are unsung heroes, adults who run an underground railroad to save unwinds, and there are betrayals from fellow unwinds. The juvenile actions of these minor villains is sometimes irritating but not completely out of character for 13-17 year olds.

"We have a right to our lives. We have a right to choose what happens to our bodies. We deserve a world where both those things are possible and it's our job to help make that world."

"Then we propose the idea of unwinding, which would terminate ynwanteds without actually ending their lives. We thought it would shock both [pro-choice and pro-life] sides [of the war] into seeing reason."

"It didn't take long for ethics to be crushed by greed."

"Please, says the boy. Please what? the teacher thinks. Please break the law? But no, That's not it at all. What he's really saying is: please be a human being. With a life stuff full of rules and regiments, it's easy to forget that's what they [Unwinds] are. She knows - she sees - how often compassion takes a back seat to expediency." ( )

I picked up this novel because I've read Shusterman before and it still haunts me to this day. While for this one I wasn't "scared", I was definitely thrilled. Overall the book is very much an "edge of your seat" thriller and kept me engaged but not terrified. ( )

Possibly the most powerful exploration of abortion that I've ever encountered. Don't let that throw you off, it's also a ripping good read. I couldn't put it down and it disturbs me yet. A really extraordinary dive into "what if". ( )

In the future, abortion is outlawed, but retroactive abortion through "unwinding" is permitted between the ages of 13-18: these children are harvested for parts (see also: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro). Connor is scheduled to be unwound, but escapes; he causes a highway pileup during which Risa, another Unwind from a state home (StaHo) escapes and joins him. At the same time, Connor also impulsively saves Lev, a "tithe" from a large Christian family. Lev doesn't want to be saved, but Pastor Dan pushes him toward Connor, and the three runaways attempt to stay safe until they turn 18.

Connor and Risa stay together, but Lev is separated from them, and teams up with CyFi, who has an Unwind's hand. Connor and Risa find a safe house and are shuttled around for a while before ending up at the Graveyard in Arizona, a benevolent dictatorship of sorts that serves as a safe place for Unwinds to hide out and learn useful skills until they turn 18. Lev arrives there separately. But agents of chaos lurk even in the Graveyard, and Connor and Risa and Lev all end up at a harvest camp, where Risa's musical skills save her, Lev is recognized as a tithe, and Connor is scheduled to be unwound sooner rather than later. But there's chaos at the harvest camp too, in the form of Clappers - of which Lev is now one.

This work of speculative fiction has undertones of the Holocaust and the Underground Railroad, as well as The Handmaid's Tale and Never Let Me Go. Both thought-provoking and fast-paced, with strong characters.

Quotes

Thinking ahead has never been one of Connor's strong points. (11)

Stupid dreams. Even the good ones are bad, because they remind you how poorly reality measures up. (17)

It would probably be a relief for them, for now they're all broken up on the inside. Better to be broken up on the outside instead. (68)

"One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have - people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives." (Sonia at the safe house, 111)

Everyone's mind is trapped in the holding pattern of their own uneasy thoughts. (166)

Whether or not souls exist Connor doesn't know. But consciousness does exist - that's something he knows for sure. If every part of an Unwind is still alive, then that consciousness has to go somewhere, doesn't it? (172)

...but how do you prepare yourself for something like this? (303)

"What you did, Lev - it confused people. No one knows whether you're a monster or a hero."
Lev thinks about that. "Is there a third choice." (327)

"We have a right to our lives! We have a right to choose what happens to our bodies! We deserve a world where both those things are possible - and it's our job to help make that world." (333)

I find the "Bill of Life" premise highly unlikely - but with a willing suspension of disbelief, the rest of the story is compelling. ( )