Uglies: The Secret Summary & Analysis

David leads Tally down the far ridge. Tally struggles to keep up and organize her thoughts. When they can see the light of a window, David shouts a greeting. His parents greet David, draw him into a hug, and greet Tally. Tally isn’t sure how to act, since uglies seldom meet other people’s parents in the city. She’s also shocked when she sees that David and his dad look very similar. This makes David’s parents laugh, and David’s dad reminds Tally of how genetics work: families pass on physical traits, all of which disappear with the operation. David’s parents introduce themselves as Maddy and Az, and they all sit down. Looking around at their cozy home filled with impractical, decorative objects, Tally thinks that David might not have grown up all that differently from the way she did.

Tally comments on how familiar everything feels, and Maddy explains that they came from Tally’s city and might have turned Tally pretty had they stayed. They discuss Tally’s solo journey to the Smoke using Shay’s directions, and when Maddy and Az say they haven’t heard of Shay, Tally wonders what the relationship between David and Shay was really like before she arrived. The conversation turns to what Tally knows about Maddy and Az, which is almost nothing. David tells Az that Tally might go back to the city, but he thinks she should know before returning. Tally is amazed that David and his parents communicate like equals, and she asks what she should know. David and his parents argue over whether to tell Tally the secret of why Maddy and Az ran away—Maddy says the secret is dangerous, and David tells Tally that it’s the truth about what it means to be pretty.