Review: Uglies

Uglies  by Scott Westerfeld
Dystopian fiction
Four stars

Uglies presents a world in the future where, after you turn 16, everyone undergoes an operation to become beautiful. They grind down and restructure your bones and put on new skin to create a community of "Pretties" where life is full of fun, partying, and something else. All Tally wants is to get the operation, but in the weeks before she befriends a girl named Shay who shows her an alternative life. Tally must make a decision with the authorities watching her every move - betray her friend or never become pretty.

I've read a few other books by Westerfeld, including his Midnighters series which was pretty good, but this is my favourite of his. The premise is a little strange, but it's pulled off well. I love reading futuristic books, but I often find them too outlandish or not well explained. The society presented in Uglies is not perfect, but also not entirely off-base; it's quite believable in its focus on outer beauty and societal order. I also enjoyed the new technology that is introduced, hoverboards and bungee jackets among them. Some of the language was harder to adjust to - with adjectives like "bubbly" and "bogus" - but it does act as a reminder of the time difference. As for Westerfeld's writing, it is not particularly poetic or abstract, but more action-oriented and fast paced which reflects the character of the book. It's an easier read but still well written. Another positive note is the main character, Tally. She is strong and vivacious and determined, but she also makes mistakes. She is put into difficult situations and makes some tough decisions, and the reader is not always supportive. I like it when authors do this, because it makes the book that much more real. You engage with the characters, you are frustrated with them in their imperfections and failures. You relate to them. It's beautiful.

"You've only seen pretty faces your whole life. Your parents, your teachers, everyone over sixteen. But you weren't born expecting that kind of beauty in everyone, all the time. You just got programmed into thinking anyone else is ugly."

Finish the series: Pretties and Specials, the rest of the trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, and the companion novel Extras