What if you had to prove that you belonged to your family? What if choosing two or three things you loved would make you an outcast in your society – a threat to others?
‘Divergent’- The movie’s hit the theatres and it’s the perfect time for a review. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a rip off of The Hunger Games. Yes, it is set in the future, the protagonist is a bit like Katniss and there’s a revolution later on but that’s where the similarities end. That being said, I’m sure Hunger Games fans would love this book.
In fact, it’s a must read for all ‘dystopia fans’. But for all those people with varied tastes – it’s also filled with romance, daredevil action and plot twists. Divergent describes a city split into five factions, each based on a particular personality trait. Every sixteen-year-old has the right to decide which faction suits their personality the most so they may live there for the rest of their lives. However, Tris is divergent thus having an aptitude for more than one faction and is considered a threat to society.
Veronica Roth has painted a world that is unforgiving but also incredibly vivid and real, and two characters who share their love for taking risks and living dangerously. Tris is impulsive, unflinching, and is not afraid to speak up and stand out. Yes, she does make the wrong decisions sometimes, but that’s what makes her so real. And in the end, that’s what the book is about – Choices.
“I realise that if we had both chosen differently, we might have ended up doing the same thing, in a safer place, in gray clothes instead of black ones.”
However, other than a few lines here and there, Divergent doesn’t have that quote-worthy, John Green style of writing. It’s not philosophical but to-the-point, much like our heroine, in fact. Although the society depicted in this book is very different from our own, it contains several highly relatable themes. We are all trying to find an identity for ourselves and feel the pressure to fit into some category or the other. We are constantly forced to make choices and to face our fears.
There are many aspects of this book that stand out – the plot which is incredibly innovative and leaves the readers wondering which faction they would belong to, the greatly flawed characters, the stimulations which makes one literally face one’s fears and the light, laugh-out-loud moments between Tris and Tobias, of course.
Finally only the most important question remains as you finish the book. A question that, in today’s society, we should all ask ourselves. Will you fit in or will you risk everything and be divergent?
Now don’t think too much. Go read the book.
-Sunaina.
‘Divergent’- The movie’s hit the theatres and it’s the perfect time for a review. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a rip off of The Hunger Games. Yes, it is set in the future, the protagonist is a bit like Katniss and there’s a revolution later on but that’s where the similarities end. That being said, I’m sure Hunger Games fans would love this book.
In fact, it’s a must read for all ‘dystopia fans’. But for all those people with varied tastes – it’s also filled with romance, daredevil action and plot twists. Divergent describes a city split into five factions, each based on a particular personality trait. Every sixteen-year-old has the right to decide which faction suits their personality the most so they may live there for the rest of their lives. However, Tris is divergent thus having an aptitude for more than one faction and is considered a threat to society.
Veronica Roth has painted a world that is unforgiving but also incredibly vivid and real, and two characters who share their love for taking risks and living dangerously. Tris is impulsive, unflinching, and is not afraid to speak up and stand out. Yes, she does make the wrong decisions sometimes, but that’s what makes her so real. And in the end, that’s what the book is about – Choices.
“I realise that if we had both chosen differently, we might have ended up doing the same thing, in a safer place, in gray clothes instead of black ones.”
However, other than a few lines here and there, Divergent doesn’t have that quote-worthy, John Green style of writing. It’s not philosophical but to-the-point, much like our heroine, in fact. Although the society depicted in this book is very different from our own, it contains several highly relatable themes. We are all trying to find an identity for ourselves and feel the pressure to fit into some category or the other. We are constantly forced to make choices and to face our fears.
There are many aspects of this book that stand out – the plot which is incredibly innovative and leaves the readers wondering which faction they would belong to, the greatly flawed characters, the stimulations which makes one literally face one’s fears and the light, laugh-out-loud moments between Tris and Tobias, of course.
Finally only the most important question remains as you finish the book. A question that, in today’s society, we should all ask ourselves. Will you fit in or will you risk everything and be divergent?
Now don’t think too much. Go read the book.
-Sunaina.