Pretty Ugly

The novel explores the theme of identity and individuality through Jamee’s struggle to be viewed as her own person and not as a less serious, less smart version of her sister, Darcy. Jamee begins the book as a new student at the same high school her sister attends, which invites comparisons, all of them initially negative. Whereas Darcy stands out for her intelligence and academic achievement, Jamee struggles in school and is more interested in athletics, specifically cheerleading and gymnastics. 

Jamee’s welcome to high school comes in the form of her teachers and the upperclassmen all labeling her as “Darcy’s sister.” This tends to be accompanied by descriptions of how good and successful Darcy as been. Jamee quickly chafes under these comparisons, which she is also receiving at home, and feels frustrated, isolated, and unseen by her family and teachers. She explains that originally it was nice to have this connection in her new school, but after about a week of it, she quickly resented it. She lists a number of experiences: her history teacher, who said “You need to study harder, like your sister Darcy”; her English teacher, who said, “You’re not as good a writer as your sister Darcy”; her physical science teacher, who said, “If you’re having trouble, maybe you could ask your sister Darcy”; juniors and seniors who would stop her and say either “You look just like her” or “You don’t look anything like her”; and Mrs.