Uglies

by Scott Westerfield

[ibeforem]

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a long time, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Tally’s world is physically the same as ours (as in, Earth), but time and an apocalypse (an oil-destroying bacteria) have changed things. Much of the world is uninhabited, and most of those that remain live in segregated cities such as Tally’s. On one side of the river are the young, the Uglies. On the other side, the Pretties.

It was decided, post-apocalypse, that all of the world’s problems were caused by inequality. Not only financial or social, but physical. So, upon their sixteenth birthday, everyone is given plastic surgery to become Pretty. They then spend the rest of their young-adulthood going to parties, basically.

Tally is about to become Pretty, and never thought about doing otherwise before she runs into Shay. Shay doesn’t want to become Pretty. She’s learned of a settlement of people living outside of the city (the Smokes), and she’d rather be a part of that society than the one she’s expected to join. She asks Tally to come with her, but Tally is unsure, until the decision is made for her.

I thought the book had some interesting things to say about conformity and oppressive monitoring by the government. For a heroine, Tally does tend to be rather passive. Most of what happens to her is a result of what other people have either done or made her do, and I have to admit I didn’t love her. But, the story itself is compelling enough that I don’t have to love her to want to see what happens to her.

Overall, it was just an enjoyable story. Westerfeld has created an interesting world, and I’ll definitely be reading more to see what he does with it.