Abnegation are selfless, Candor are honest, Dauntless are brave, Erudite are intelligent, Amity are kind. The 5 factions set-up to form a perfect society with one aim: to prevent war. Divergents? Divergents can be a number of these factions; therefore they are difficult to control. Being a Divergent is dangerous.
Veronica Roth’s debut novel ‘Divergent’ follows the story of 16-year-old Beatrice, an Abnegation transfer, as she battles to become a member of the thrilling daredevil faction, the Dauntless. As she faces various challenges to determine the meaning of fear and how to control it, a sinister plot begins to tantalisingly unravel which will take Tris to her very limits. However as she experiences many new ideas, including having friends and enemies, the greatest test of all will be finding herself.
‘Divergent’ is a book that has set a standard for the teen dystopian genre by incorporating fast-paced action, secret romance, subtle twists and a diversity of characters into an intricate plot that develops in such a manner that the reader is constantly enthralled in the story. It is a novel that also looks deep into human morality and values, testing and showing that despite our best efforts, humans are flawed and will inevitably be drawn towards power and control.
The concept of factions used to develop this theme is both original and effective whilst the presence of the Divergents shows the complexity of human personality. The nature of a Divergent is tactically revealed using subtle hints of information throughout the book, a strategy which is also used in revealing the storyline that will shake the foundations of the whole society. Combining this with the author’s unusual and surprising willingness to kill main characters in a variety of heart-wrenching scenes despite being only the first part of a series makes from an engrossing read where the reader will be unable to release the book until the author has decided to end the emotional but exhilarating rollercoaster.
By Douglas
