Unwind/Characters

The characters of the novel Unwind:

Connor Lassiter
'' "Yes, it is an answer. Maybe it's the best answer of all. If more people could admit they really don't know, maybe there never would have been a Heartland War." ''

One of the three main characters, Connor was signed by his parents to be unwound because of his trouble-making nature. He plans to runaway with his friend and crush Ariana, but she backs out at the last second. Connor gets caught, but manages to escape and meets Risa while rescuing Lev.


 * Anti-Hero -> The Hero
 * The Beard / Undercover As Lovers: Connor and Risa pretend to be in a relationship during most of the story so they won't get separated.
 * Berserk Button
 * Boy Meets Girl: Connor meets Risa.
 * Brown Eyes
 * Crowning Moment of Funny: "Nice socks." Also sort of doubles as a Catch Phrase when mockingly dealing with authority.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Delinquent
 * Door Step Baby: Connor and Risa take care of one for a while.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: Connor gets worried when he notices Roland repetitively flirts with Risa and helps her out a lot (giving her his food, offering her his blanket) and even questions her about it, the first thing he says being, "You're not actually falling for him, are you?" We all know he's jealous, though.
 * Hot-Blooded -> Tranquil Fury
 * Ineffectual Loner: Connor doesn't get into fights if he's alone.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Impulsive and quick-tempered, but ultimately cares about his best friends.
 * Love Hurts: When Ariana backs out at the last second to kick-AWOL with Connor.
 * Love Triangle: A mild, implied one between Connor, Risa, and Ariana. Connor, Risa, and Roland could possibly count too.
 * Meet Cute: Meet Risa.
 * My Fist Forgives You: To Lev
 * Morality Chain: Risa seems to be that for Connor.
 * BestFriends: Risa and Lev.
 * The Power of Friendship
 * The Rival: Roland.
 * Shallow Love Interest: Ariana. What did he see in her?
 * Slap Slap Kiss: Connor and Risa from time to time.
 * Tranquil Fury:
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Connor, Risa, and Lev.
 * Shallow Love Interest: Ariana. What did he see in her?
 * Slap Slap Kiss: Connor and Risa from time to time.
 * Tranquil Fury:
 * Troubled but Cute
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Connor, Risa, and Lev.

Risa Megan Ward
 "Don't I have a choice in this? 

One of the three main characters, Risa is an orphan at Ohio State Home 23, StaHo for short. After making several mistakes during her piano recital, Risa is one of the 5% population of the teenagers there that are going to be unwound to suffice the orphanage's budgets. She escapes the bus taking her to the Harvest Camp and ends up meeting Connor and Lev.


 * The Beard / Undercover As Lovers: Connor and Risa pretend to be in a relationship during most of the story so they won't get separated.
 * Boy Meets Girl: Connor meets Risa.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Character Focus
 * Door Step Baby: Connor and Risa take care of one for a while.
 * Green-Eyed Monster: When Risa sees Connor drawing Ariana, she gets jealous.
 * I'll Pretend I Didn't Hear That: When Connor suggests Risa is falling for Roland.
 * Hospital Hottie / The Medic:
 * Love Triangle: A mild, implied one between Connor, Risa, and Ariana. Connor, Risa, and Roland could possibly count too.
 * Meaningful Name: Risa's name is short for "sonrisa," which means "smile" in Spanish.
 * BestFriends: Connor and Lev.
 * Parental Abandonment
 * The Power of Friendship
 * Slap Slap Kiss: Connor and Risa from time to time.
 * The Smart Guy
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Connor, Risa, and Lev.
 * Veronica: Arguably the Veronica to Ariana's Betty. Ariana was the closest girl to Connor until Risa came along and has known her longer (but we don't know much about her personality), while Risa is strong-willed, is a quick thinker, and is really quite capable of defending herself. It could be played both ways, but we don't really don't know much about Ariana to label her the Veronica.
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Connor, Risa, and Lev.
 * Veronica: Arguably the Veronica to Ariana's Betty. Ariana was the closest girl to Connor until Risa came along and has known her longer (but we don't know much about her personality), while Risa is strong-willed, is a quick thinker, and is really quite capable of defending herself. It could be played both ways, but we don't really don't know much about Ariana to label her the Veronica.

Levi "Lev" Jedediah Calder
''This is what I was born for. It's what I've lived my life for. I am chosen. I am blessed. And I am happy.''

One of the three main characters, it was in Lev's religion to become unwound - as he is the "tithe." Along the highway, Lev is kidnapped by Connor as a hostage, but impulsively rescues Lev when he gets tranqed by a bullet meant for Connor.


 * Beware the Nice Ones:
 * Blue Eyes
 * Bratty Half-Pint: In the beginning.
 * Character Focus
 * The Chick
 * Creepy Child: Even Risa admits Lev as this because of how must he has changed. See Beware the Nice Ones.
 * Hair of Gold
 * The Load: At times.
 * BestFriends: Grows to see Connor and Risa as this. And Cy.
 * Only Sane Man: This is what Lev thinks at first about himself when he is kidnapped by Connor and Risa.
 * The Power of Friendship
 * Tagalong Kid: To Connor and Risa, and to Cy.
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Connor, Risa, and Lev.
 * The Power of Friendship
 * Tagalong Kid: To Connor and Risa, and to Cy.
 * Two Guys and a Girl: Connor, Risa, and Lev.

Ariana
'' "Sure. Sure I do. I could leave here. If you asked me." ''

Connor's friend and crush in the beginning of the novel. Connor and Ariana planned to kick-AWOL together, but Ariana backs out at the last second because of she is the maid of honor at her sister's wedding and because of school.


 * Betty: Arguably the Betty to Risa's Veronica. Ariana was the closest girl to Connor until Risa came along and has known her longer (but we don't know much about her personality), while Risa is strong-willed, is a quick thinker, and is really quite capable of defending herself. It could be played both ways, but we don't really don't know much about Ariana to label her the Veronica.
 * The Ditz: According to Connor, Ariana wasn't all that bright.
 * Love Triangle: A mild, implied one between Connor, Risa, and Ariana.
 * Shallow Love Interest
 * Technicolor Eyes: Always gets the newest pigment injection. Ariana's current eye color the beginning of the novel is "sweet violet with streaks of gray."
 * Temporary Love Interest
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: We don't know if she's Connor's childhood friend, but she's the closest girl to him until he meets Risa.

Alexis
'' "Hi, you must be new! I'm Alexis, and this is Chase." ''

A girl who Connor and Risa meet on a school bus. She has a baby son named Chase.


 * Genki Girl
 * Motor Mouth

Hannah Steinburg
'' "Don't tell me your names. Don't tell me anything, so if they question me afterward, I won't be lying when I say I don't know." ''

A teacher who helps Connor and Risa escape the school and find shelter with Sonia, who shelters Unwinds.


 * Cool Teacher
 * Door Step Baby: Volunteers to raise the baby Connor and Risa were caring for.

Sonia
'' "Maybe, maybe not. 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. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light." ''

An elderly woman who shelters Unwinds. She works with Hannah in protecting Unwinds. Nicknamed "Dragon Lady" by Hayden and Mai.


 * Cool Old Lady

Roland
'' "Consider yourself lucky." ''

One of the three Unwinds that Connor and Risa meet when finding shelter with Sonia, Roland was going to be unwound because he beat up his stepfather for beating his mother; his mother took his stepfather's side instead. An intimidating adolescent who is both feared and respected, Roland sees Connor as a threat.


 * Character Focus
 * Delinquent
 * Disappeared Dad
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Love Triangle: Kind of between Connor, Risa, and Roland.
 * The Rival: Connor. He sees Connor as a threat and tries multiple times to provoke him.
 * Two Guys and a Girl: At first, Roland, Mai, and Hayden.

Hayden
'' "Let's take a poll--would you rather die, or be unwound?" ''

One of the three Unwinds that Connor and Risa meet when finding shelter with Sonia, Hayden came from a wealthy family, but when his parents had a divorce, they fought over the custody of Hayden, leading to an alternative choice - to have Hayden unwound rather than to have one of the parents have Hayden. A bit of a jokester, Hayden befriends Connor.


 * The Lancer: To both Connor and Roland.
 * Motor Mouth: He was very talkative
 * Two Guys and a Girl: At first, Roland, Mai, and Hayden.

Mai
'' "We get sent to the harvest camp and they cut us apart, that's what happens next." ''

One of the three Unwinds that Connor and Risa meet while finding shelter with Sonia, Mai was going to be unwound because her parents tried to have a boy and instead had another girl for the fourth time.


 * Bookworm
 * But Not Too Foreign: It is implied that Mai is Chinese.
 * Character Focus
 * Emo Teen
 * Goth
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Kuudere: Arguably. She's kind of cold to pretty much everyone except her boyfriend Vincent.
 * Rose-Haired Girl
 * Tomboy
 * Two Guys and a Girl: At first, Roland, Mai, and Hayden.
 * Two Guys and a Girl: At first, Roland, Mai, and Hayden.

Cyrus "CyFi" Finch
'' "Ain't no one gonna tell you what's in your heart. You gotta find that out for yourself." ''

A young Umber who Lev accompanies to Joplin after, Cy is friendly and optimistic.


 * Umber Best Friend: To Lev.
 * Character Focus
 * Has Two Daddies
 * Motor Mouth: Lev thinks Cy likes to hear himself talk.
 * Token Minority
 * Token Minority

Zachary "Emby"
'' "Wait till you're the one who's dying and see how you feel about it!" ''

One of the boys in the same crate as Connor and Hayden when they're sent. Nicknamed the Mouth Breather.


 * Character Focus
 * Nerd
 * : {{spoiler|Emby has a transplanted piece of Harlan Dunfee (Humphrey Dunfee}.}}

Diego
'' "Unwound. I'd rather be unwound." ''

One of the boys in the same crate as Connor and Hayden when they're sent. He is the quietest of them.


 * But Not Too Foreign: Implied to be Hispanic.
 * The Quiet One

The Admiral/
'' "I'd like to be the first to welcome you to the ." ''

The Admiral is in charge of, where he protects Unwinds until they turn eighteen. Rumors spread that he's only after parts of the Unwinds for himself, but the Admiral is genuine about helping the Unwinds.


 * The Atoner
 * Badass Grandpa
 * Character Focus
 * The Reveal:
 * Shell-Shocked Veteran