Much as Suzanne Collins did in her Hunger Games Trilogy, Veronica Roth in Divergent begins painting a disturbing and startling vision of the future.  In the dystopian Chicago of the future society, for better or worse, has broken into five factions that regard a particular virtue as important and the key to a better future.  Abnegation the Selfless, Dauntless the Fearless/Brave, Erudite the Knowledgeable, Candor the Honest, and Amity the Peaceful.  Beatrice Prior is 16 and about to come of age in this society as the Choosing Ceremony is about to take place, and she must make a choice that will forever change her.  Growing up in Abnegation has never felt right to Beatrice, and a hard choice confronts the young woman as cracks in what is supposed to be a seamless societal structure begin to show.  Her journey is a fast paced, exciting, and gripping as she confronts the choice she ultimately makes.  Beatrice is a strong female narrator, painted in true strokes despite the dystopian premise of the story.  Growing up, making choices, no matter what are universal themes.  The themes about society as a whole and what virtues, frailties, and power surrounds are equally intriguing.  A very different world from The Hunger Games, but no less imaginative, and for Young Adult fiction I find it to be equally thought-provoking.  Well written stories take the reader in and raise questions, make us laugh, make us cry, make us cheer, and Veronica Roth has created a well-written novel.  I am eagerly anticipating the second book in this trilogy!


K