Book Raves Pt. 12: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

"I cannot fathom how I can be here. I can't be Flawed. I am perfect."

Do any of you readers have phases where you read a lot and then not at all? Well, I started reading this book in August 2019 after borrowing four books from a friend... It has been ten months since then, and I've only just recently finished the book.

What's even more insane is that I was very very close to finishing but for some reason, my cycle of reading books decided it was time for the Phase of Not Reading again and I never touched the book until a few months ago. That was my mistake. I've decided that this year will be different. Since I've recently finished university, I'm going to read my heart out because I have all the time in the world (although time is fleeting).

Flawed is a YA novel that follows the story of protagonist Celestine North, who lives in a dystopian world where perfection is of the utmost importance. Society is split into two: the normal citizens and individuals deemed as Flawed - citizens "who have made moral or ethical mistakes." A committee called the Guild oversee the Flawed with judges deciding whether accused individuals are Flawed on Naming Day.

If a person is deemed as Flawed, this flaw is then carried by the individual for the rest of their life and is represented by the letter F branded on their body. These branding locations vary, depending on what mistake(s) the person has committed:

"For bad decisions, it's their temple. For lying, it's their tongue. For stealing from society, it's their right palm. For disloyalty to the Guild, it's their chest, over their heart. For stepping out of line with society, it's the sole of their right foot."

Flawed people are also subjected to wearing an armband with the letter F in red. Although they are not thrown in prison, they are ostracised, segregated and treated as pariahs.

Celestine's perfect life instantly turns upside down after involving herself in an incident on a bus. She then becomes a catalytic symbol for change, making everyone question society and the poor treatment of the Flawed.

Flawed is a perfect representation of our society's obsession with perfection. Yes, nowadays, everyone is learning to love their flaws and who they are, as expressed by the growing #loveyourself and #selflove movements. However, there is still an alarming rate of people idolising celebrities who Photoshop their images to appear 'perfect'.

There is still an alarming rate of people who think a certain body type is perfect, or that if they don't have bodies like Kylie Jenner's and Kim Kardashian's, their own is nowhere near perfection.

Why do you need to have a small waist, a flat stomach or a big bum? Is it because you personally want to, or just because those are society's ideal body types?

Are you acting on insecurity? I get it. I get you. I've had thoughts like that.

After reading Flawed, one aspect I liked was Celestine's journey. If she didn't endure the experiences she went through, then she would not be able to grow as a protagonist and realise that there needed to be change in her world. Instead, she would remain passive and live her life in a flawed society, blinded by this veil of perfection without seeing the atrocities.

This novel is a reminder that we live in an imperfect society. We cannot embody perfection because nothing is perfect and everyone has their own definition of the word. For this reason, flaws exist and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

"In this world, nothing perfect exists. It may be a cliche, after all. But it's the way things are. That's precisely why ordinary men pursue the concept of perfection. It's infatuation. But ultimately, I have to ask myself: what is the true meaning of being 'perfect'? And the answer I came up with was: nothing. Not one thing. The truth of the matter is, I despise perfection. If something is truly perfect, that's it... there is no room for imagination. No space for intelligence or ability or improvement. Do you understand? A condition of hopelessness. Always strive to be better than anything that came before you, but not perfect."

-Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Bleach.

{#books #novels #rave #Flawed #CeceliaAhern}