Divergent

I’ve been sipping the Kool-Aid lately, I know. Remember when I said I gravitate towards certain books? Well, Divergent is one of them. I understand that it manipulates the reader with unrealistic and dramatic events. I get it. I understand it, admonish it, but read it just the same. If you find yourself with the same plight, pick it up.

Beatrice lives in a Utopian/Dystopian society where the population is divided by values. There are five groups or “factions” to be divided by, that stand for the values the name represents. Abnegation believes in selflessness, Dauntless is based on courage, Erudite favors knowledge, Amity focuses on peace and Candor is for the honest. At the age of sixteen, a young adult will choose to stay in their group, or switch to another. We join Beatrice at the cusp of her sixteenth birthday.

At the last moment, Beatrice decides to be brave, and chooses to switch factions. Beatrice or “Tris”, as she renames herself, deals with the loss of innocence and family ties as well as the growth of new relationships. Who can’t relate to that? She goes from humble, selfless and reserved, to someone who can finally indulge in what’s been missing in her life.

Can I say that this is a girly book- without sounding too gender normative? The Divergent series is clearly meant to hit a note with the self-conscious, everyday girl who wants to find her inner bad ass. I started to get Mulan/Pocahontas vibes. It reminds me of the handful of books I’ve talked about recently: Hunger Games, Twilight, Matched. It ranks up there, but has a different kind of intensity.

My least favorite part of the book is that she gets turned into a victim. Disclaimer: of course females can be victimized, it happens every day. I’m not saying I’m annoyed that she is a victim. I’m annoyed that it feels like it is being used to make her seem special. I’m not down with that kind of writing. Using something as serious as verbal and physical abuse for a cheap vehicle for entertainment is gross. So, as brief as it is, I’d do without that part.

But, there are plenty of inspiring moments to counteract the bad. One thing I like is that Tris’ strength doesn’t somehow magically appear. She is not physically able to beat the crap out of a 250lb man, and I’m appreciative that her limitations are vaguely realistic. She has moments of fabricated self-consciousness and coy unrecognized strength, which makes me gag. But, for the most part, her emotions feel genuine. She becomes vain, greedy and angry. She has moments of overconfidence, and gets knocked down for being too cocky.

Although it’s a ‘fluffy’ book, it has some brief moments of wisdom. Messages like ‘people who crave power and get it, live in constant fear of losing it’ are pretty deep. Even though the whole ‘faction’ thing is overdone and somewhat unrealistically laid out, it’s an interesting thought. What would I be? No clue. I’m pretty sure everyone wants to pretend like they’d be in Dauntless (Gryffindor in disguise). But, I’d most likely be in Erudite. I’m not selfless, honest or peaceful, but I sure hate idiots.

It’s an easy 500 page read, if you’re into that kinda thing. I’ll be getting in some serious reading over the holidays, so get excited!