The decision is supposed to be an easy one - at sixteen, you cast your lot with one of the five groups making up society (each group divided based on personality), either the one you were born into or another one suggested by an aptitude test - but for Beatrice it is tearing her apart. Born into a group that values selflessness above all else, she has always known she never belongs, but when her aptitude test shows irregularities - her personality does not favor one group over another, she is Divergent - she instinctively and recklessly casts her lot with Dauntless, a group that values thrills, action, and energy over all else. She knows the decision will change her life, but the EXTENT is beyond her wildest dreams.
"Divergent" is a huge book, and it starts off slowly. But once Beatrice enters the world of the Dauntless, the book begins to pick up steam at a startling pace, revealing twists and turns, humor, horror, and even romance. The first book of a series, "Divergent" manages to tie loose ends while leaving many issues unresolved, and anticipation high for the rest of the story.
The thrill of "Divergent" is the thrill of joining a character as they experience a world exotic and thrilling to them. Not unlike the first "Harry Potter" book, or Scott Westerfeld's "Leviathan," Beatrice finds herself flung into a world beyond imagination, full of dangers and thrills, watching as those around her get weeded out. But it is a place she belongs, that she has, in some way, been prepared for her entire life. And as she grows, we feel the thrill of observing her realize her potential.
A dystopian fantasy not unlike "Fahrenheit 451," "Divergent" manages to dwarf that book in sheer scope of plot, if not in cultural impact. It is a big, wild thrill ride of a novel that both rewards further introspection on the issues discussed and manages to keep readers purely in the moment. Once it gets going, it's a thing of beauty.
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