Book Review: Divergent (Fantasy/SciFi/Supernatural)

Bibliography

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen, 2011. Print.

Summary

In a dystopian society, sixteen year olds must take an aptitude test to determine which of five factions they will have to become a part of on “Choosing Day.” Through the process, Beatrice Prior, who was raised as Abnegation, the selfless faction, learns she does not fit into a specific faction, which makes her a Divergent. This is considered extremely dangerous and she is told to not tell anyone. When it comes time to align herself with a faction, Beatrice abandons her family and chooses the Dauntless, which are known for their fearlessness. Through the initiation process, Beatrice, who is now known as “Tris,” learns that the faction based society is not as perfect as it seems, and she has fight against what is taught to her and what she already knows to be right.

Critical Analysis

As a dystopian novel, Divergent shares characteristics of both science fiction and fantasy. (Nilsen 180) The novel takes place in a futuristic world where people are forced into factions based on a virtue. Young adult readers will relate to Tris as she struggles with fitting in to a faction and the role of the family in making decisions about the future. Technology plays a role in developing the storyline and adding to the science fiction nature of the novel. The characters emotionally evolve through the story, which lends itself to the fantasy nature of book. Divergent also shows the role the government can play in shaping futures, and how it takes the individual acts of courage to question practices and make changes.

Strengths and Weaknesses

One of the strengths of Divergent is how Roth created a whole world that is both believable and unbelievable, which captures the characteristics of the dystopian novels. Young readers will also indentify with Tris as she evolves as a character and faces challenges, not only physically, but emotionally as well. Tris finds her first love in Four, one of the instructors of the initiation, and the novel captures the fear that goes along with love. One of the weaknesses of the novel is that Tris was not always likable. She always seemed to struggle with fitting in, and through her divergent nature, she never truly does. Also, the Dauntless faction exaggerates the wild, fearlessness of young adults, but seems to forget about the consequences associated from that behavior.

 

Works Cited

Nilsen, Alleen Pace. Literature for Today's Young Adults. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.