Book Review - Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld

Given the breathtakingly cold weather lately, I thought I would take the opportunity to spend more time reading. Today I'd like to talk about an intriguing little book that's captured my attention - and imagination - recently.

Uglies is a young adult novel by author Scott Westerfeld. It's the story of a teenaged girl named Tally, whose life is a fascinating mix of dystopian society, amazing technology, and artificial perfection. As the story begins, Tally is anxiously anticipating her 16th birthday and the slightly mysterious "operation" that will transform her from one of the mundane "uglies" and into one of the almost-supernaturally beautiful "pretties." From that point on, her life will become an exercise in extreme decadence. But it quickly becomes clear there are a few cracks forming in the gorgeous facade of Tally's world...starting with those few teens who decide they don't want to become pretties and indulge in the seemingly wonderful - but curiously dull - lifestyle that comes with it. Tally's new best friend Shay is one such teen, and their adventures together provide glimpses into a world outside the overprotective city that Tally has never dreamed of. Suddenly Tally's future seems less and less certain, especially after she runs afoul of the mysterious Special Circumstances, who offer her an impossible choice between friendship and her own future as a pretty.

Uglies is a fast-paced and compelling read. Its plot unfolds with plenty of suspense and forshadowed creepiness. Most of its surprises and plot twists are fairly obvious in advance, but it's still a lot of fun to watch it all unravel.
And the questions the book raises are interesting ones: What price is worth paying for a world without war, without racism? What value do we place on our appearances, our personal freedom? Should we sacrifice individuality if it promotes fairness? While Uglies apparently takes place in the United States hundreds of years in the future, its context is interestingly connected to our contemporary 21st century world. Characters frequently refer to the "Rusties" and "pre-Rusties" to describe those civilizations, such as ours, that struggled - and failed - before theirs (the term Rusties being a less-than-subtle criticism of our current fossil fuel-driven, car-ccentric society).

While there are explanations attempted for some of the technology sprinkled liberally throughout Tally's world - such as the magnetically-powered hoverboards and hovercars - much of it is tantamount to magic in a Star Trekian kind of way. And it's a bit hard to swallow the idea of a world seemingly lacking any sort of economy - there's no mention of money, income, shopping, taxes or any of the characteristics of rampant commericialism prevalent in today's world. I also didn't think the book really succeeded at conveying the dark side of Tally's society - I actually thought their lifestyle sounded pretty darn good, and often found myself wishing I could become one of those beautiful, decadent people living in New Pretty Town.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Uglies. I'd recommend setting aside a few large chunks of time before picking up this book. Its brisk pacing and cliffhanging chapters make it difficult to put down, and the second book in the trilogy - Pretties - suggests more of the same.