Note: This is an audiobook, narrated by Emma Galvin (www.audible.com)
Holy moly. Veronica Roth
is only 22. Divergent’s her first
book. Wow.
I’ll admit that the timing
is superb. Just as 2010/2011 were the years of vampire fiction, 2011/2012 were
dedicated largely to dystopian fiction – where people live in a totalitarian or
environmentally degraded environment.
Against the backdrop of
global hysteria about Suzanne Collins’ The
Hunger Games Trilogy, young adult author Veronica Roth wrote Divergent: a story about a young girl
living in a society saved from the brink of apocalypse.
In short, humanity has
organised itself into five factions, each of which lives by a single core
value: Abnegation (the Selfless); Erudite (the Intelligent); Candor (the
Honest); Amity (the Peaceful); and Dauntless (the Brave).
Born into a staunchly
Abnegation family, Beatrice Prior has tried to uphold the ideals of her parents
– which go against her natural inclinations. Then, on her 16th birthday, she
takes an aptitude test to determine which faction she is most suited for. And it
is revealed to her, in secret, that she is one of a very rare and dangerous
subset of the population – Divergent – because she possesses the traits of not
one but three factions. (You’ll see which ones.)
For Beatrice, the decision
is between staying with her family and being who she really is, so she makes a
choice that surprises everyone. During the highly competitive initiation that
follows, she struggles to determine who her friends really are and discovers a conflict
that threatens to unravel her society.
This magnificently written
book is also superbly narrated by Emma Galvin, who is able to sound youthful,
old, female, male, happy and sad – depending on the relevant point of view. I
am loving every minute of listening to it.
Disclaimer: I'm known for my default skepticism when it comes to fantasy/sci-fi. But... This book is that good. Promise.
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