Defecți

Celestine North lives in a world that demands perfection. She pleases her parents, teachers and classmates. Her boyfriend, Art Crevan, is among her school's most admired boys. Then she acts on impulse and breaks her society's rules. She now faces prison or branding as one of the Defective. Her defiance could even cost her life.

Those judged Defective bear marks from a hot iron. They must also wear an armband with a red “D”. These signs let others spot them and make them public examples. Celestine's story explores blame, public punishment and the cost of dissent. It asks what happens when a society treats human flaws as crimes.

Defecți is Cecelia Ahern's first novel for young adults. It opens a dystopian series with the same name. Ahern wrote it with love and anger, stressing that everyone has faults. The book had reached readers in 15 countries.

Ahern was born in Dublin in 1981. Her father, Bertie Ahern, was Ireland's prime minister. She credits him with her drive to work. She studied journalism and communication at Griffith College in Dublin. After college, she began writing fiction rather than seeking a media job. Her novels have appeared in 47 countries and sold over 16 million copies.