Unwind is set in the future after a battle between the pro-life and pro-choice factions. It resulted in a compromise between the two. Children under the age of eighteen (I think. It's been a little while since I read it) can be sent to be 'unwound' by their parents. This process is legal so long as every single part of the person is used. Yeah. It was a little sickening, a little horriying, but really good.
Some children cannot be afforded. Others are not wanted. Some are 'tithes'. They are raised by their family believing that they are meant to serve a higher purpose. They are the only children that go to be unwound willingly. For obvious reasons, everyone else tries to fight like hell. Another of the compromises made kind of comes from that tale of the stork that some parents tell their children. Say a teenage girl gets pregnant, but isn't able to keep the child. If she leaves it on someone's doorstep, they are legally obliged to raise the child. But, if the girl is caught, then she has to keep it.
This book follows the story of teens on the run from being unwound, including on tithe, who gets caught up in the escape against his will but begins to learn just how awful the system really is.
It was an incredibly interesting read, and there was one scene in particular that describes a boy being unwound that was hard to read, but I'm glad that the author put it in, because it gavbe a lot of good information about something that had been mostly kept a secret for the book. I also appreciate the goodness of a stand-alone book. It is perfect on its own; no need to a sequel :)