Bibliographic Citation
Roth, V.
(2011). Divergent. New York, NY:
Katherine Tegen Books. ISBN 9780062024039. 487 p.
Summary
Set
in post-apocalyptic Chicago, Divergent
tells the story of 16-year-old Beatrice Prior, who, like all other 16-year-olds,
must decide her future by choosing which faction to join as an adult. Before
choosing, the teens must participate in an aptitude test which is a simulation
of reality that determines which faction is the best fit. There is Abnegation,
Beatrice’s born faction, the selfless, Candor the honest, Amity the
peacemakers, Erudite the wise, and Dauntless the brave. These factions have
been created to help keep society peaceful and reduce the destruction of the
human race. The results of Beatrice’s aptitude test determine she is Divergent,
meaning she doesn’t fit into just one faction. She learns this is a very
dangerous label and she must not tell anyone. She decides to choose Dauntless,
as she believes she isn’t selfless enough to remain in Abnegation. Having
renamed herself “Tris,” she must survive Dauntless initiation or risk being
factionless, a fate worse than death. Just as it looks like Tris will be a
successful Dauntless member, the unimaginable happens and Tris, along with her
boyfriend, Four, must fight for their lives and the lives of many others.
Analysis
At
first, it took me a while to really buy into the world of the separate factions
and the fact that Dauntless compound itself was so strange and its initiation
so brutal. However, as I continued to read, I fully bought into the storyline
and couldn’t put it down. The fact that the book is written in the present
tense helps move the story along quickly. I found myself cringing at the
intense, bloody training scenes and the attacks made on fellow initiates. Tris
is a character I cared about and rooted for throughout. She is tough and strong
willed, but vulnerable at the same time, though she doesn’t like to show it. I
also like the romance between Tris and her trainer, Four, whom she discovers
some secrets about later in the book. The book ends with a cliffhanger, forcing
the reader to buy the second book in the series, Insurgent. It is now next on my list of books to read. I have to
know what happens to Tris and if we ever find out what is really beyond the
fence around the city. I think that although this is a novel in itself, Roth
has set the stage for much more to come in Tris’s story. This book is long, but
written at a level so that even a middle school student could easily read and
understand it. Overall, Roth writes a captivating thriller of a novel if the
reader can buy into the strange future city that was once Chicago.
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