PLOT (WITHOUT SPOILERS)
In dystopian, post apocalyptic Chicago, there are five factions of society: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Every year it is compulsory for children aged sixteen to choose the faction to which they want to belong to.
Beatrice Prior’s current faction is Abnegation. She knows that her choice of faction determines whether she would stay with her family or can be the person she wants to be. She knows she won’t be able to have both.
She goes for the aptitude test in the Choosing Ceremony that would determine her faction. The test reveals that Beatrice doesn’t belong to any particular faction but to a mixture of three: Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless.
She is also revealed to be Divergent, which is a really rare segment of the populace. Beatrice decides to join the Dauntless faction and her choice comes as a surprise to everyone, even herself. This means she has to leave her previous faction Abnegation and her family behind. She always knew that she never truly belonged to Abnegation.
The initiation for the factions is extremely competitive. Beatrice changes her name to Tris. There are ten slots for the new members of Dauntless faction against double the number of hopefuls. During the journey of being selected as a Dauntless, Tris learns who she is and who her real friends are. She also comes to learn of a secret about herself that was previously unknown to her and which may destroy her if it is revealed to the wrong people.
A romance develops between Tris and a courageous but infuriating young boy named Four which adds romantic tension to the plot. Four is also one of the two leaders of the Dauntless faction who is in charge of training the hopeful members of the faction.
CHARACTERIZATION
The characters are very relatable and likable and the settings are very realistic, in spite of the dystopian aura, thanks to Roth’s capabilities. The characters are very flawed and this may make them resonate with your own life. You will care about what happens to them throughout the book.
Divergent is one of those rare books where you feel sad when the characters feel sad and happy when they feel happy. The book is one of those rare gems where you share your feelings and emotions with the characters.
The book is written from Tris’s point of view, in the first person. She is often torn between what she wants to do and what she should actually do. She is not afraid to confess that she is often self centered. I really loved this aspect of her because how many of us can say that we never have selfish thoughts and feelings no matter how ethical we try or pretend to be?
Tris is not scared to admit it if she feels weak or afraid. She has strong will power and determination about not being beaten at the initiation tests. She is aware that she is not blessed with the greatest physique in order to be a Dauntless member but she tries really hard to not let that shortcoming stand in the way. I guess at the end of the day, that’s the most pivotal thing, right?
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!!
Four is a fascinating character because it is hard to tell what he thinks all the time and to read the emotions that he shows. He may seem difficult, stuffy and uptight, which are the tell tale, signature style characteristics of the quintessential grumpy boyfriend in young adult romance fiction.
Because of this you are frightened and shy of him and unsure of his true emotions for which it is not actually difficult to love or adore him, nonetheless. He is a tragic hero with sad backstories and you begin to root for him and you begin to develop feelings for him from the moment he is introduced in the novel.
That’s how Tris actually feels pretty much about him throughout the entire novel. Hence, for a major portion of the plot, the reader and Tris are really the same person in this adventure, which is deliciously perfect.
I dig the fact that Roth didn’t turn Four into the stereotyped bad boy / play boy / womanizer. Roth made him a real man with deep perspectives and a dark side, who has more inside him than meets the general eye. He likes to do what he thinks he should do and he is almost never influenced by the shallow opinions of other people who pretend to be his so-called well wishers.
ANALYSIS
There is a dark atmosphere lining the plot, even when things change for the better. It is clear that there is more going on than is evident and Roth has expertly crafted the stage where things happening hit you right in the face when you had no idea what they were about. The reader knows what Tris knows and is on a level with her all along the story. The twists, turns and suspense are unbelievably explosive and shocking.
The book isn’t an Instagram based love story which is the case with most YA fiction these days. The chemistry between four and Tris is always lurking in the background despite taking a backseat from the main plot.
There are no PDAs and the romantic scenes are very chaste which is probably a by-product of the Dauntless upbringing.
THE ENDING
There is no cliffhanger at the end of the story; hence Divergent can be read as a standalone novel which can satisfy you sufficiently. However that won’t be the scenario because you will be practically dying to know more about this exhilaratingly thrilling world and how the powerful ending draws to an end.
The ending of Divergent was fairly abrupt because there were no clues as to how the plot will be like in Insurgent which is the next book in the series. Since I don’t want to be in the dark for too long I really can’t wait to get my paws on a paperback copy of Insurgent. This is one of the vital things to the book’s phenomenal success and acclaim: unpredictability. I never knew what was next which made me restless to continue reading.
VERDICT
To sum up, Divergent is a breathtaking and sublime read which I would highly recommend to every fan of YA dystopian fiction out there. The combo of resonating characters and a highly original voice make this a must read for any science fiction reader / lover. I realize now why there was so much hype surrounding the Divergent franchise.
If you are looking for a unique and stand out YA novel, then Divergent is the one for you. I can’t wait to read Insurgent next besides watching the Divergent movie, which is hyped to be even better than the book, unbelievably.
PRODUCTION AND LOOKS
The book is really chunky and the page quality is fabulous. The binding is smooth and top notch. It can be easily kept flat and open without using much effort and you don’t have to try to hold it open while reading.
There are more than 400 pages that make the book really thick and chunky which makes it appealing and irresistible. I mean honestly, a chunky paperback is always delicious for the eyes.
Another attribute I like about it is that it’s really floppy compared to most paperbacks. It’s very soft and you can actually bend it if you try, which I would not do in case the book got damaged. But it gives you the feeling as if it can be actually bent which makes it a treasure, thanks to its floppiness and relaxed feel. It’s not rigid and stiff at all like previous mass market paperbacks. But it’s a modern paperback and hence it is that way.
It smells really superb too which for book nerds like me is an absolute treat!! It smells as fabulous as an old book shop / coffee shop, as if I’m eating chocolates or drinking cappuccino while relishing it!!
The cover is really a treat for the eyes, thanks to the movie adaptation look on it. You have Theo James on the cover (SO DARN HUNKY) and the actress who plays Tris, who looks really stunning and breathtaking. Theo looks cute and boyish as usual who is eye candy for the teenage girls and ladies. Something about dark haired guys on the cover is irresistible and makes your heart throb like mad!!
RATING / PERSONAL THOUGHTS
The book was a reread for me and the second time around I could really soak up the story thoroughly which was terrific. When I first read the book in 2019, I had really enjoyed the relaxed and easy and effortless writing style which did not burden me with reading something daunting.
Yet I completely forgot about the plot until I read it for the second time in 2021 when all the pieces fell together. I could recall that those were the exact things that actually happened in the novel. The second time around I really got immersed in the plot and was burning through the pages if not ploughing through them, which was awesome to say the least.
It has all the makings for a compelling and intriguing science fiction series and the author pulled no punches while trying to make it a favorite among lovers / fans of the genre. It makes for compulsive reading as moderately short chapters and the easy language are really the icing on the cake besides being absolutely delicious and mind blowing.
Rating: 4 / 5 stars