Pretties
by Scott Westerfeld
I had no intention of reading this entire YA series; to be honest, I only read Scott Westerfeld’s first book, Uglies, because I promised some students I would (see my post from June 15, 2010). But Westerfeld left the reader hanging at the end of Uglies, the publisher cunningly included a five page teaser to Pretties at the end … and I was hooked.
Readers of Uglies will not be disappointed. Definitely geared for young adult readers (and probably girls, at that), the novel continues to explore our culture’s preoccupation with physical beauty. Tally Youngblood and her friend Shay have finally become pretty. As the novel opens, Shay, in fact, has just “surged” again, and now has twelve tiny rubies implanted around her iris’. The girls’ lives center around a series of over-the-top parties and dances … and then recovering from hangovers the next day.
[spoiler alert]
Pretties, however, addresses some intriguing subtleties of this future world. While it is true that pretty “beauty” is fairly standardized (large eyes, full lips, unblemished skin, long limbs), we also learn that new pretty muscles are strong and pretties rarely become sick; most injuries can be quickly and easily
repaired. Pretties organize themselves into cliques–the Crims, the Hot-airs, the Cutters–something every teen can relate to. And maybe most intriguing, the idea of being “bubbly”–that adreneline rush or exhileration that comes with taking risks or pushing boundaries.And in an interesting twist, we discover that this world of pacifists studies violent behavior by holding a group of pre-Rusties on a reservation.
Readers of Uglies know that Tally undergoes her pretty surgery knowing that the accompanying brain lesions will leave her vacuous and inane–and also knowing that she would be smuggled a cure from an ugly doctor. When Tally and her boyfriend Zane find the cure after a wild hunt, Tally decides she will divide the pills between them–to disastrous results. Most of the novel follows Tally in yet another escape to the Smoke. And once again the novel ends with a cliffhanger.
Young adult readers will appreciate Westerfeld’s frank treatment of sex, alcohol, and rebellion. Parents can rest assured, however, that the author does not titallate–while we know Tally sleeps with her boyfriend, there is no mention of having sex; hangovers are just as miserable in Pretty Town as they are in our world; and rebellion takes the form of outrageous pranks, as opposed to any bitter hatred of adults.
A little bit Harry Potter (think Harry’s Nimbus and Tally’s hoverboard), with a dash of Star Trek (think body scans and protoplasers), add some teen angst, and you’ve got Pretties. Now … on to Specials, third in the series!
Next up: Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler, August’s Chicks on Books read.
This is my symphony 