I wasn’t quite sure, as I was getting towards the back half of “Unwind”, if the author was actually going to unwind one of his characters.
Well, he did.
I have to say, there was no talk of blood, cutting, what body parts were being taken, how they were being taken, or anything else graphic. And it literally made me feel sick to my stomach. Literally. (I stopped reading it at one point to focus on something else for a few moments to make sure I was OK).
By using nothing more than words, and planting ideas in my head throughout the story, the author successfully had me experiencing exactly what was going on; as if I were really there.
I am not sure what did it. I have certainly read horror stories that detailed much worse things than this one section ever even touched on. Maybe it was an emotional attachment I had made with the subject. He wasn’t a central character, but I knew him, none-the-less, from this story. I knew he was mean, and conniving, and ruthless, and it was still unbearable to visualize, in my mind, him being unwound.
So Kudos to Neal Shusterman on the writing of this story. I have been scared by books before, emotionally brought to my knees because of books, sobbed uncontrollably because of books, and cheered for the hero, because of books. But to feel sick to my stomach without the graphic detail of blood and gore; well done Mr. Shusterman; well done.
It looks like I can get this book wrapped and under the tree, and on to book #2, Unwholly. Having a whole lot of free time until the New Year should make fast reading of this book, as well as the third one.
Do you have a book that scared you beyond belief?
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