Divergent - when not fitting in can make a difference

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I loved this book!

I sped through it during a couple of late nights - or should I say mornings? - and then practically ran to the bookstore to get the second book in the trilogy! I am sure I will devour that one as well as I cannot wait to find out what happens next.

The trilogy is set in a future where the citizens are divided into five factions, where each faction strives to uphold a specific virtue - a virtue that makes the foundation for the way of life in it. On Choosing Day every sixteen-year-old must choose one of the factions - Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Erudite (the intelligent) and Dauntless (the brave) - something that will determine the rest of their lives. Everything is divided into these factions - the place they live, what jobs they have, what they wear, even how they are supposed to conduct themselves or greet others.

On a given day, all the sixteen-year-olds are sent through an aptitude test that tells them which faction that will suit them best, and this is where things start to go wrong for Beatrice Prior, a girl born into the Abnegation factor. Because...what exactly happens when someone does not fit neatly into just one of the factions, but in three of them? What then?

"I look at the hole again. Goose bumps rise on my pale arms, and my stomach lurches. If I don't do it now, I won't be able to do it at all. I swallow hard. I don't think. I just bend my knees and jump."

Divergent by Veronica Roth, p. 58.

The dystopian genre is not one I normally read a lot of as I tend to think of it as a bit dark and depressing. I thought I would give this particular book a try, though, and oh my am I glad I did! It was really exciting! I am starting to think that the genre may have something to it - like a thought-provoking and perhaps message-bearing idea of futures that may come true one day. Who knows, right? One scary thought, that is! It makes me wonder what would happen if everyone read a dystopian book or two. Would people get inspired to do better?

More teasers, everyone?
Flukten fra virkeligheten
Should Be Reading