”There is one mirror in my house.”

From Veronica Roth’s Divergent.

A captivating story that follows the struggles, choices, and fears of young Tris as she tries not only to find her place in society, but also her place in the world. Tris must choose which of the five factions she will pick to live in, but the answer does not come easily. The heroine of the story is unable to simply choose the faction that she most identifies with, because she identifies with more than one. Tris is believable in her thoughts and words; we connect with the honesty and confusion that accompany the teenage years. The characters are well written and easy to believe. The hatred, love, mistrust, and mystery of each person in Tris’ live is easy to detect from the writing. Roth writes with raw emotion that draws you into every aspect of the story. Granted, the five factions can be difficult to keep straight, but the differences are discernible by the end of the book.

The story looks at the values and drawbacks of qualities such as bravery, humility, and honesty. Roth forces the reader to consider what it is to commit to an idea completely without questioning any of the reasons why. Should Tris stay within her faction to keep her family whole? Should she leave because she has never felt that it was the right fit for her? It lays a solid foundation for the rest of the series, but also ends with a satisfying ending, even if it is tainted by sadness. Divergent offers a special perspective of the dystopian society; it leaves out a large portion of the “why” and instead focuses on the here and now. Probably the best book of the trilogy, in my opinion, but definitely worth the read in the opinion of lots of other people, too.