Book Review: Unplugged by David Schulze

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker | Content warnings: attempted suicide

A provocative and peculiar story that examines technological dependency in a powerful near future

Quentin Wagner is raised offline, an oddity compared to the lives of his fellow Gen Alphas. But animosity, anxiety, and depression still found him. After a failed suicide attempt, he posts a lengthy diatribe on a social media platform, TrueSwitch, about how, “Our parents, the Millennials, became addicted to that digital world, so they felt it was only natural to pass that addiction on to their kids. But we’re the only ones paying that debt.” 

Even though Quentin is immediately disgusted at his impulsive word vomit and subsequently deletes the app, his post takes off and is the basis of the tumultuous Unplug Movement. He has sparked a movement that will never truly be his.

After #Unplug explodes, Amphibian “Phibs” Cantell tracks down Quentin—a person with basically no digital footprint—with the pure purpose of meeting his idol and partaking in Unplug. Phibs begins to orchestrate the meeting of various Boston College students in order for Quentin to speak and spread the philosophy.

Jax Halsteder is an intense 19 year old who is next to speak at the first meeting after Quentin. He talks “about coding and how he once saw it as valuable to society, only to realize how wrong he was thanks to Quentin’s post.” He gave up his full-ride scholarship to MIT because he was so moved by a social media post. Millions of people will join suit in shunning the internet, some even believing in no physical documentation at all. Of course, there is pushback that will eventually cause Jax and Quentin to reach their boiling point.

Unplugged is a strange, impossible to put down novella that is told mostly in the future tense. Zaddy, one of Quentin’s fathers, is the narrator, painting the picture of his little boy’s life after fretting over whether he will successfully raise him right. “And I’ll tell Quentin this: if he feels isolated or weird now, know that at least he’s being raised right. That will only work out for him in the end.” 

The utilization of the future tense allows for a unique way to audit the present day, as there are people and events within the story that mirror current politicians or cultural trends. The ways in which these characters reflect our own world give an immersive feel to the novel—a worldwe can see ourselves in.

The main topic for this discussion remains the anxiety and depression caused by overstimulation due to excessive technology use. Arriving in our admittedly chaotic world, this book allows us to put an essential distance between ourselves and reality. The fictional space gives room to process the thoughts and emotions that may feel overwhelming otherwise—a successful endeavor on author David Schulze’s part. 

I’d recommend this book primarily for a mature adult audience, particularly because of its representation of suicide and other heavy topics. Unplugged invokes deep thought in a powerful dystopian world. While it might feel heavy, it leaves us with hope for the future.

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