Book Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 576

          In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

          Having finally read Divergent, at last I understand why it is held in such high esteem. And I couldn't agree more with all the people who have read it and described it as one of the best books they have ever read; I am now one of those people myself!
           There is just so much to love about this book...
           
           I love Tris, who is fiery, strong and actually very brave. I think her name matches her perfectly - (aside from the fact that her name is very short, like she is physically as well) I think Tris sounds like a fighter, and Tris is a fighter. I actually did a double-take when I first read the name 'Beatrice Prior' at the beginning of the book; it sounded so prim and proper that I didn't even realise it was the protagonist's name but rather thought that it was just another character. Then again, it makes sense - Abnegation Beatrice is sensible and reserved, whilst Dauntless Tris is fiery and wild. Once in the book, Tris is described as 'tough as nails' and I totally agree with this image. There are times when Tris does seem cold and hard-hearted, but she makes up for it with selfless acts of bravery such as taking the place of a friend to stand in front of a target whilst knives are being thrown at her.
          I love how Tris visibly learns and grows throughout the book. Tris has never really felt like she belongs in her home faction of Abnegation, where everyone is meant to always be completely selfless, but she has led a relatively untroubled and straightforward life for sixteen years. And then, on Choosing Day, the one choice Tris makes really does change her life entirely.
         The tough and brutally competitive initiation into her new faction that follows presents challenging situations and pushes Tris to her boundaries, both mentally and physically. Along the way, she discovers her own capabilities and learns the true meaning of bravery.
          I love Four, strong and seemingly fearless, surrounded by the mysteries of his past. When we first meet him, he is cold and guarded but this wall slowly comes down and we fall in love with the person we find underneath.
          I love the fascinating plot - tense and full of action, but still somehow managing to be beautiful, and
          I love how realistic everything is - somehow Veronica Roth has managed to create both a world, and characters, that felt really real to me as I read Divergent.
          
          I was quite surprised to discover that Veronica Roth is only 23, but hopefully this means we can expect much more wonderful reading material from her in the future; I, for one, can hardly wait until the release of Insurgent!