Divergent by Veronica Roth

According to Goodreads.com:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. 

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

In recent months I have thoroughly glutted myself reading young adult dystopian fiction, a genre that is expanding exponentially these days, fueled by the highly successful Hunger Games series.  It’s a genre that I loved when I was in high school, and I have rediscovered this spring as I have read and enjoyed the plethora of well written young adult ventures into this style.  I have to say that Divergent  is a novel that I won’t soon forget, and I’ll be excited to know what happens next in the adventures of the heroine, Beatrice.

In Divergent author Veronica Roth has created a futuristic society of divided factions, each one dedicated to a particular virtue: honesty, selflessness, bravery, peacefulness, and intelligence.  Throughout the novel runs the theme of what does it mean to be a person who possesses these virtues?  Is it true that a person has one virtue to the exclusion of others?  And what are the true definitions of the virtues themselves?

I think Divergent is definitely a DANGEROUS BOOK as any reader will be compelled to examine their own lives in the light of the questions raised in the book.  As Tris (as the heroine Beatrice renames herself) questions what it means to be brave, readers will confront their inner fears.  Like other great dystopian novels, Divergent raises questions of morality, right and wrong, and our place in society. 

While there is no background information to explain how the world became this futuristic society and broke into the five factions, that did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.  As a reader, I didn’t even care about the missing information, because I was so drawn into the personalities of the characters in the story. 

The characters, Tris, her possible love interest, Four, and the other initiates, are well drawn.  Most of the characters have conflicting motivations, just as real humans do.  There is often no clear right and wrong answer to the challenges faced by Tris and the others, just as there is not often clear right and wrong answers in life.   The strong development of the character’s various personalities allows readers to imagine friends and family that we know, in similar situations. 

And even though this book offers a great deal of mental “meat” to chew on, it’s not missing elements of action and adventure.  Roth’s written descriptions of the feats Tris and the others face as they proceed through the Dauntless Faction’s initiation is extremely well done.  When Tris has to literally jump off a seven story building into seemingly nothingness below, it truly is a breath taking moment.  It’s the kind of action that I could see will easily translate to a movie version, and readers who enjoy fast paced action movies would easily be drawn to the excitement of the book.

Overall I highly recommend Divergent for readers who want a story that offers strong characters, amazing adventurous action, and the chance to think for ourselves in a world that seems to dictate to much of our thinking for us.