Title:  Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Dystopian
Publisher: Katherine Teagen Books
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Source: Provided by publisher
Parental Advisory: criminal activity, violence, government oppresion
Teachable Moments: freedom, group think, conformity, government oppression, individuality, teamwork

“I feel like I am without substance, without weight.  Ahead of me the marsh looks huge, its patches of brown spreading farther than I can see, even up this high.  The air is so cold and so fast that it hurts my face.  I pick up speed and a shout of exhilaration rises within me, stopped only by the wind that fills my mouth the second my lips part.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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 choices 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 00 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.

Opinion:
I am a big fan of dystopian fiction.  This, I believe, many of you know about me.  So it won’t come as any big surprise when I tell you that I enjoyed Divergent a great deal. In fact, it’s one of my favorite dystopian reads this year.  Why, you ask?  Because it was fast paced, had great characters I could root for, had an interesting (though sometimes simple) plot, and included a romance that didn’t beat you over the head with a weak girl pining away for some guy who promised to make her life feel complete.

In fact, protagonist Tris was as strong as they come.  She was a girl who lived the majority of her life conforming to requirements set by others yet privately she struggled with her dreams of making changes to better herself.  Then, when the opportunity presented itself, she bravely chose to embrace the potential to make those dreams reality.  She didn’t always walk the path of least resistance which was complex given the way society was structured.  What Roth did well in crafting Tris wasn’t just that she made her strength shine through but she also kept the underlying tone of apprehension and inadequacy alive and kicking.  Tris did right by herself, and more times than not did so for those around her as well, but she second guessed her decisions and was not always so self-assured.

Her romantic counterpart was much the same.  Best characterized as a gentle giant, Four was equal parts demanding and accepting.  His expectations of those around him were high but no higher than what he expected of himself.  His backstory is intriguing but slow to reveal itself, which I truly enjoyed.  Furthermore, the similarities between he and Tris make for an interesting dynamic in their growing friendship.  I’d love to expand more on Four because I just loved him as a character but but to do so would take some of the more surprising plot elements away and you should definitely experience those revelations for yourself.

The romance between them was awesome.  Slowly built and based on more deeply rooted emotions than a needful desire it was tentative and meaningful.  Don’t get me wrong there is plenty of passion and attraction but there is also some baggage to carry and potholes to navigate.  All of which create a good dynamic of push and pull.  One of the best romances in dystopian fiction I’ve seen in some time.

The characters are what provide Divergent’s strongest component.  However, despite the fact that the world built in Divergent isn’t entirely fleshed out I still felt it was a strongly set story.  I may not have felt all of the where’s here but I sure felt the who’s and what’s.  To that end, Roth did a fantastic job in creating a society that revolved entirely around different factions.  Representative of a particular virtue she shows that although individuals are expected to demonstrate only one characteristic it is nearly impossible to keep from displaying multiple.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more historical perspective on how it was the society came to the state it was in but I suspect that this will come as part of the second in the series.  This lack of perspective wasn’t entirely detrimental and is more of a preference on my part so don’t let it deter you from picking this up.  The characters and action make it worth the effort.

As mentioned previously, the plot was fairly simple.  Even with the added bonus of the factions this story, at it’s foundation, is about oppression and conformity two heavy but straightforward topics.  Tris isn’t about embracing either and (along with several others) she rebels against the status quo.  This rebellion has a variety of focus and progresses to different levels of intensity as Tris learns more about who people truly are and at what level the different factions  may or may not be controlling things.  Not quite at Hunger Games level, Divergent did have an element of survival to the story.  Kind of a get or be gotten scenario that adds a feeling of urgency to finding answers and resolution.

A fast ride with fantastic characters, Divergent is worthy of adding to your pile of must read books.   It is a book that makes you reflect on a variety of thought provoking subjects and provides a low impact entry into the world of dystopian fiction.