by Molly
Recently a new dystopian novel has taken the world by storm. Divergent has risen up to join the ranks of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Narnia - novels that define our generation. Veronica Roth’s first novel is one that begins at a lightning pace and keeps its momentum up for nearly 500 pages. I, personally, never thought that a modern-day dystopian novel could be as endearing as this. I’m one that enjoys the classics - Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and other legendary stories of people who want nothing more than to be themselves. Nobody ever would’ve thought, before reading Divergent, that Veronica Roth would one day rival George Orwell and Ayn Rand, but it has happened, and it was obvious from the first page of text.
Roth’s main character, Tris, is a young girl from a sector of society which requires its people to be selfless and worry-free. On a given day every year, all of the sixteen-year-olds from all over this society (which we later learn is “modern-day” Chicago) come to choose which sector (faction) they wish to live in for the rest of their lives. Most teenagers choose to live in the same faction that they have know for their whole lives, but Tris and a few others feel like they need a change and choose to go into Dauntless, the faction which trains warriors and forces its people to disregard their fears. The only trouble with her choosing to join Dauntless is that only ten people make it through the initiation, and Tris is the smallest and weakest of them all. If Tris didn’t get through initiation, she would be kicked out of her faction. At this point, she would be considered factionless and have to live off her own devices without any kind of community support.
Through her training, Tris meets a stoney-faced young man appropriately nicknamed Four. In his fear landscape, Four had four fears (see what they did there?), which was an anomaly of sorts. Most recruits had upwards of fifteen fears in their landscapes. Of course, as all books go, Tris and Four forge a friendship that later turns into a romance that evolves over the entirety of the three-book series.
Now that the entire trilogy has been released, we, as the fandom can look forward to the Divergent film, which will be released in March of this year. For those of you who may be fans of the BBC television series Downton Abbey, this may come as a surprise. I know I was shocked when I put the pieces together.
A little bit surprising, yes? I definitely know that I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, I know thirty seconds on Google could’ve told you that Theo also played Kemal Pamuk, but if you’re like me and still live in the dark ages, then this would’ve come as a shock. Talk about night and day!
Anyway, I’m so excited about the casting choices that they’ve made for the film. It is obvious that this film is going to be legendary simply because of the text it comes from, but then factor in the fact that you have some of Hollywood’s finest - Kate Winslet, Shailene Woodley, Ashley Judd - and now they’re preparing to bring in awards by the dozens.
If you haven’t read Divergent yet, I can highly suggest it to anyone. I will wholeheartedly admit that I was skeptical going into it. However, from the first chapter, I knew I was going to love the read. I’m not ashamed to admit that I blew through the entire series and its novellas in no more than a week and a half. Afterward, though, I was left feeling something like this:
Has anybody else ever had this feeling? Before the Divergent Trilogy, I can honestly say that the last time I’d had that feeling was after reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the first time in fifth grade!
So you just finished the Divergent Trilogy and you’re wondering what to do now? Here is a list of books that I would recommend to somebody who enjoyed Divergent:
- Matched by Ally Condie
Matched is the first book in a trilogy of books which takes place in a dystopian society years into the future. In this society, Officials decide who you love, where you work, even when you die. It’s up to Cassia to break from the norm.
2.) Evermore by Alyson Noel
Ever Bloom is the only survivor of a car crash that kills her entire family. After the accident, she has regular, in-person conversations with her dead little sister, develops intense psychic powers allowing her to read minds, and see auras. And, of course, there has to be a bit of romance!
3.) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Shiver is the first of the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy, written in the perspective of Grace Brisbane. For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.
So, there you have it! Hopefully now you’ve found something to wean you off of your Divergent withdrawals. Let me know what books you’ve found and enjoyed after Divergent in the comments!
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