Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed is set in a dystopian world, where perfection is necessary. On one end, there is the court for crime where you are condemned for punishable crimes such as theft, murder and such things. But there is a second court, named the “Flawed court” that tries people for moral wrongdoings, actions that cannot be tried for in a normal court. The wrongdoers are judged by a panel of people referred to as “The Guild”. If one is found guilty, the flaws are publicly named and their skin is seared with an F brand in one of 5 places. The location is determined by their error of judgement.

If one is found guilty of:

Making bad decisions- Temple

Lying- Tongue

Stealing from society- Hand

Disloyalty to the Guild- Chest, over their heart

Stepping out of line with society- Sole of their right foot

A Flawed person then has to wear an armband that marks them out as flawed. They then have curfews and restrictions. They can only eat basic food, nothing luxurious or fancy, nothing unnecessary. Each Flawed person is assigned a Whistleblower, someone who will make sure they stick by the rules- returning home on time, and not consuming alcohol or anything that’s not required. In this society, everyone strives for perfection, in fear of being found out as flawed. The story is told from the perspective of the protagonist who is called Celestine North and she is the definition of perfect. She has a twin sister, Juniper North, who is more of a rebel. She challenges this society and Celestine worries that Juniper will get in trouble. To top it all, Celestine has a boyfriend called Art Crevan. And Art Crevan’s father is none other than Bosco Crevan, the head of the Guild. Celestine feels like she has nothing to worry about, she is “a girl of definitions, of logic, of black and white.”. The book begins at Celestine’s house where the Norths and the Crevans are celebrating the annual Earth Day. Bosco Crevan has placed himself at the head of the table and together they wait for the third family, the family of Celestine’s best friend. Celestine narrates how her family is nervous in front of Bosco, but how she feels completely comfortable with him, having spent so much time with him before. Bosco Crevan insists they should start eating when they hear sirens and loud shouting. Bosco Crevan is completely unfazed, as if somehow, he was expecting it. The rest of them rush outside to see the van of Whistleblowers outside the house of the third family, the Tinders. They watch in horror as the officers walk past Bob Tinder and begin to drag his wife Angelina away, in her evening gown, her hair in curlers. They watch as Angelina is driven off and they watch as Bob Tinder cries on the front lawn as the whole neighbourhood watches, too afraid to comfort him. We discover that Angelina’s mother had a terminal illness, and she took her mother to another country to perform Euthanasia on her. Celestine is afraid for Juniper, as Juniper keeps challenging Bosco about Angelina Tinder, in a dangerously argumentative fashion.

That night, Celestine goes to meet Art where they normally meet on the top of a hill. She tells him that she feels Juniper “needs to learn to keep her trap shut”. She continues to justify Bosco Crevan’s actions to his son, who is sceptical about the way Angelina Tinder was carried, screaming and crying before her young children. Art the gives Celestine a bracelet and tells her she is perfect. Throughout the book, she refers to this moment as “the last perfect moment “of her life.

After that day, Celestine stops talking to Angelina’s daughter, Colleen, her former best friend. Juniper wishes Colleen good luck for her mother’s hearing but Celestine stays silent. That day, they find out that a footballer who was accused of cheating on his wife has been cleared. This is astounding as no one has ever been cleared by the court before. Juniper voices her dangerous opinions once more. this time to point out that Bosco Crevans brother has a 55% stakeholder in Jimmy Child’s football team. She is hushed by her mother and no more is said on the matter. But it is clear that there is corruption on the surface of this perfect society.

later on, the twins and Art are sitting on the bus. There are only two Flawed seats, both of which are occupied by two rather fat, normal women, who are chatting loudly. An old Flawed man gets on the bus, but cannot sit down as he is not allowed to sit on any other seats. The two ladies take no mind of him and continue to talk. The old man begins coughing frightfully, and Celestine is alarmed. No one else reacts at all, except for Juniper who is bristling with anger. Celestine is suddenly very nervous as he continues to cough as if he will die. At last, she can bear it no more, and she gets up and asks the two ladies to move, so the old man can sit down as he is visibly going purple.  At once, all eyes are on her, staring at her in shock. Celestine shouts for the bus to halt, as she tries to help the old man stand. The bus is stopped, not to help the man, but to contact the Whistleblowers. Celestine North has tried to aid a Flawed, displaying the flaws in her own character. She is taken away by the Whistleblowers, although Art and Juniper try to stop them. She is taken to the holding cells at Highland Castle, which are completely see through. In another cell, next to her, there is a sullen boy who stares at her but doesn’t smile. She discovers he is called Carrick, the son of two Flawed people. In this society, if two Flawed people have a child, the child is taken away and sent to a care home as such, where the Flaws are fixed.

Celestine is visited by Bosco Crevan himself, who has got her the best lawyer he can find. Bosco tells her a twisted version of events, that incriminate the old man, instead of her. She asked the ladies to move because she did not want them to be infected by the old man’s flaws. She stopped the bus because she did not want the Flawed man to cause a scene. It was the old man who used her as support, and it was not her choice. He will have the acclaimed journalist, Pia Wang, portray her in this manner in all the news articles that are published about this case. Celestine agrees and they leave. But Carrick is now staring at her angrily, in disbelief.

Celestine’s mother visits her, bringing the most perfect clothes for her hearing. Celestine can see her mother is straining to behave normally, but she says nothing. Her parents insist she must say what Bosco has told her to say at the hearing. When Celestine asks about the old man, her mother coldly tells her to forget him.

Carrick and Celestine are escorted outside into the courtyard for some fresh air. There, they are passed by a man and two women in red hospital gowns, flanked by guards.  Immediately, she is aware that they are being taken to the Branding Chamber that is close by. She is paralysed with fear when bloodcurdling screams come out of the Chamber. Wordlessly, they return to their chambers.