The Characters of Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

LANDRY PARK was fascinating to me because it's a dystopian told from the rare point of view of one of the haves rather than the have-nots. In the future, the gentry control society and the less wealthy work as merchants or governesses. Then there's the untouchable caste, The Rootless, condemned to their fate of working with nuclear radiation by the sins of their ancestors.

Apart from the inventive world-building and twisty plot, what really made this novel work for me were the complex characters:

Madeline

As the Landry heiress, Madeline must marry by 21 and is forbidden to attend university. She doesn't enjoy the pomp of the gentry, but she loves her estate and is protective of her family. She's conflicted by the poor treatment of the Rootless. On the one hand she feels for them (and donates blood), but on the other she's rightfully afraid of them.

David

David is the new boy in town, and thanks to his family's money, every gentry parent would love their daughters to get their hooks in him. At first, Madeline dismisses him as just as vapid as every other boy in her circle, but she soon learns differently - and finds herself falling for him.

He didn’t fit into our world as he should. Underneath the good looks and the glamour, there was a changeling; a boy by turns serious and bitter and playful. (p 68)

Cara

Cara is haughty and beautiful and seems to be Madeline's main rival for David's affections. She's also harboring a secret. She's a classic mean girl with a twist. 

Jaime

Jaime is Madeline's best friend and distant cousin who works as a doctor taking care of the rootless. He has a secret relationship with another man.

ETA: How could I forget the cat? Morgana! (and *spoiler* she doesn't die!)

Hope you enjoy meeting everyone as much as I did!