After Reading: Divergent

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:03 AM

By Veronica Roth


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.

This book came out at #6 on the NYT bestseller list. At first I was a little wary of the massive amounts of "hype" this book has received from people across the publishing industry, but I decided to pick it up anyhow (hey, Borders Bucks totally get me into the store, what can I say? :). Anyhow, despite a bit of a slow start, I was quickly sucked into this book and really, really enjoyed it. I mean, talk about epic. Only downside? Waiting for the rest of the books in the trilogy. Granted, this one had a fairly satisfying ending, but I really can't wait for more. Roth has a knack for depicting fight scenes and the ending was well, epic. Plus, Four was really interesting. The whole Faction scenario took a little to swallow and accept, but it was definitely an intriguing premise. Anyhow, seriously, if you are looking for something to pick up (and especially if you enjoyed Hunger Games) do check this out!