Unwound (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Peter Robertson's novel Angel made him the most famous author in the world. Chronicling the sordid world of a teenage prostitute, it was the biggest bestseller of the year. It broke conventions, inspired a cult following, and made Peter Robertson rich, admired...and scared.

There, on the edge of the crowd, he always sees her. She not only looks like Angel, she embodies the desperate creature he created. Everywhere Peter goes, she goes, obsessed with everything about him. What could she possibly want? Soon, curiosity will get the best of him. So will the girl with the haunted eyes. Because what she's really after is something that will explode Peter's world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451412311
• ISBN-13: 978-0451412317
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #287,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You got me! Then you got me again! Then once more for good measure! WOW!, February 10, 2007

By	Emily Evans "sosickoftherain" (LA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought UNWOUND because I'm a big fan of the author.

And because postings on the author's various websites warned that the description on the jacket didn't really describe the book, that certain "twists" made a real description impossible, I was expecting something.

Something.

Not this! Or that! Or the other! Three times, three twists of SIXTH SENSE (y'know Bruce Willis is dead) proportions. That is not an exaggeration. One, the big one I guess, had me in tears.

So a book that you think is Fatal Attraction is not Fatal Attraction at all. Not even the same genre.

Baine (Bechard) has written a thriller that you need to start again the moment you finish those three mind-blowing last lines. To see what clues you missed. And having read it twice now, there are many. So many. You want to scream: "how did I miss this!!"

I really wish I could say more about the plot, about Peter Robertson or Dina, but I can't without giving it all away.

Needless to say, if you love good thrillers, one man against, well, something (see what I mean?), one billiant character, a writer no less, who made one horrible mistake (not the one you thought) and is now trying to (well, I can't tell you that either).

Wow! I love this book. I don't know for certain how me managed to have me so fooled. I anxiously await other reviews to see if anyone guessed the twists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Number One Fan, April 28, 2007

By	Foggy Tewsday - See all my reviews

There's a quote at the end of this novel: "Jonathan Baine is a pseudonym for an award winning independent filmmaker." And the novel's structure had me wondering if it wasn't originally a film script. The author's breathless, staccato style has the novel frequently punctuated by short chapters that remind you of scenes in a screenplay. Although the book runs to 305 pages, in reality, it's shorter than this because of all the chapter breaks.

For me, this sort of structure is good because I hate putting a novel down between chapters. On the other hand, if the novel is as good as this one, it can also be a bad thing: it's all too easy to read `just one more chapter' before going back to work or turning out the light.

The novel's storyline is perhaps not one that would engender much enthusiasm in a lot of readers. Basically, an obsessed fan meets the source of her obsession. In this case a young woman called Dina is obsessed by a novel written by Peter Robinson. Dina can quote large chunks of Robinson's novel. He is flattered by her obvious love of his novel, and attracted by her beauty. Now, there are plenty of this kind of story around: Stephen King's `Misery'; Robert De Niro in `The Fan' (or `King of Comedy'); `Play Misty for Me'. No doubt there are lots of others. Although you could place `Unwound' comfortably alongside these, there's enough originality here to make the trek back into this territory.

It would not be fair to potential readers to give much more of the plot away, but if you like stories like those mentioned above, or, if you're in the mood for a decent thriller, `Unwound' is highly recommended.

By the way, it would make a great film.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Gwen Might Say Wind it Up, February 13, 2007

By	paul mason "dedarkone" (Barrie On) - See all my reviews

I recently read a review for a book where the reviewer up front said she wasn't going to provide a plot summary you would have to read the book if you wanted to know and I liked that idea so I am going to do that as well. UNWOUND is a short enough book that it can easily be read in one sitting. In fact my personal policy when shopping for new books (mainly mass market paperbacks) is to look for at least 350 pages in length in order to get my money's worth. Foolish policy? I felt a little chintzy but wanted quantity and quality for my cash. Well UNWOUND blew that theory away, it lacks the quantity I usually seek but more than makes up for it in quality. As I started reading the first half, I thought, "hmmmm the prose style is good with just an unsubtle enough hint of sensuality in the plot to make it enticing". Or something to that effect. Baine also displays an able grasp of irony and soft spoken humour to further spice up his writing style. However despite these pros, I felt in the early part of this novel that I had read this before in not a more exciting plot but, in a different one. I thought King's Misery was the best prose written about the author/fan relationship. Then Baine, just after the halfway point throws a changeup, then a curve. So as a reader it was almost as if I had struck out at the plate, but sure had a good time during my at bat. The plot and themes I thought I was reading about were only the first pitch. In other words what I assumed to be a predictable tale was in fact a novel of the first order. I will not go so far as to say the second half of the book saved it as a whole in itself, but it saved part of the story. Overall this is close to being a perfect read especially if you are a fan of fast, clever and exciting thrillers.