Enjoyed this book very much. I picked this book because it won reader's choice award on goodreads in two categories and found that it did deserve it.
The story is of a young girl living in a society divided into different groups or factions, each representing a firm belief in only one of the virtues of honesty, intelligence, kindness, selflessness and bravery. These qualities are, to a great extent, considered to be mutually exclusive, although many do not believe so. The people believe that, given the aptitude, every human being can be trained to focus on only one of these qualities.
There are some rare people who cannot think that way and they are termed as "divergent".
I once heard a motivational speaker commenting about extremism. I don’t remember the context but he said that extremism is not bad in itself but it depends upon what it is about. And he proudly said that he was extremely honest, extremely kind and extremely truthful. So its nothing to be ashamed of or nothing to be defensive about either. I was very impressed by the argument. After reading Divergent, however, you will probably feel the urge have to rethink what it can mean to be extremely honest and that you cannot be extremely honest and extremely kind at the same time. That definitely is an interesting theory. Of course, its true only if you take "extremism" in its truly literal meaning. There has to be a boundary before reaching at an extreme of one good quality to give room for another.
Its very interesting how the writer attributes different qualities of human nature to a specific function to be performed in the society. And how she makes them look to fit perfectly well in their respective situations. And then reveals how the whole society falls apart as a result of inculcating only one of the virtue in every member while ignoring other important qualities. Its ironical yet fitting that the faction representing knowledge and intelligence is responsible for all the cruelty and destruction.
The protagonist Beatrice decides to choose the Dauntless (representing bravery) faction with apparently no actual passion for being brave but more by eliminating the alternatives, as she feels herself misfit in her original faction Abnegation (the selfless) and despises the Erudite(the intelligent) for their greediness, which was predictable as she was raised in Abnegation. So she chooses Dauntless without realizing what it takes to learn to be brave. Almost whole book describes the process of "initiation" in the faction, which the 16-year old have to qualify in order to be members of that faction. During this process, the writer tells how Beatrice adjusts to her new environment, how she makes new friends and how her fellows who came from different backgrounds adapt to the new ways of Dauntless, how she gradually gains strength through her new experiences and how some of her fellow initiates fail to do so. How she, after closely watching former Erudite members, experiences conflicted emotions towards her brother who chose Erudite.
Then comes her falling in love with Four, which was very much predictable from the start. I was actually waiting for it to happen.
Its not just a science-fiction or an average young-adult novel, I found in it a deep analysis of human nature.
I agree with some other reviewers that the real story began a little late than it should have. But it was still thoroughly enjoyable.
I am really looking forward to reading the sequel Insurgent.
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