Surprised by "Divergent"!

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know how I learned about this book and why I added it as a "to read" selection. I was somehow ignorant of the fact that it was a story with some violence, similar to Hunger Games. But here's the thing - I have surprised myself because I really liked this book.

There are some similarities to Hunger Games, although I didn't think it was as grim. A young friend of mine, who likes this series, told me she felt there is more hope in the Divergent series than what we find in Hunger Games. I am inclined to agree with her. There are parts of the story that also made me think of The Giver.

What I think was valuable in this book, and what made the story palatable for me, was the way Tris, the main character, thought things through. Tris was bothered by some of the actions she had to take when she was going through her training program and when she was protecting the people in her care. I like that the author let us see Tris's thoughts, and I think those thoughts lend themselves to good discussion points with young adult readers.

All good books bring us to ask the question--what would I do in this situation? I know that I hate violence in the world, but here it is with us. How do we fight that? As a Christian, it seems like love and gentleness would lead the way, doesn't it? But love doesn't mean doing nothing--so what is the right way to react when evil disrupts our universe? Do we just sit by, do we fight? Divergence does a good job of bringing these questions to light.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book, Insurgent, and seeing what the author does with Tris, Four, and the society they live in.

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