Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together through desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing all the while that their lives are hanging in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthdays, they can't be harmed. But when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away... "Gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller… The issues raised could not be more provocative - the sanctity of life, the meaning of being human - while the delivery could hardly be more engrossing or better aimed to teens." Publishers Weekly, starred review "A thought-provoking, well-paced read that will appeal widely" School Library Journal, starred review "A breathless tale turning pages for teenage boys, as it challenges not just where life begins and ends, but what it means to be alive." Educ8 magazine "a powerful, shocking, and intelligent novel... It's wonderful, wonderful stuff." thebookbag.co.uk "This is the kind of rare book that makes the hairs on your neck rise up. It is written with a sense of drama that should get it instantly snapped up for film." The Times