We get to the last of my dystopian trilogy trifecta. Well technically, it could be called a quartet as it has the Four prequel but it’s a prequel so it doesn’t really count. Anyway, much like The Hunger Games, I never read the books. I saw the first two movies and I’m aware of the controversial ending that befalls Tris. So there is no surprise plot-wise beyond small elements I had forgotten but I was very impressed by Roth’s writing so let’s get to it.

To quickly sum things up since Divergent had its heyday when the movies were coming out so I feel many people already know the plot-Set in post-apocolyptic Chicago, the society has been split into five factions based on what what human inclination people thought brought society’s downfall. Those who believed it was the fault of ignorance, chose Erudite. Those who believed it was the fault of selfishness, chose Abnegation. Those who believed it was cowardice, chose Dauntless. Those who believed it was deception, chose Candor. Finally, those who blamed aggression, followed Amity.

Dividing society to these strict, inherant traits, sixteen years old are required to make a choice between which fraction they must choose, staying home or following their true natures are compiled by the apptitude test. They join these factions, cutting ties with their families in a “Faction before blood” mentality, and go through initiation to be considered full-fledged adults. Those who fail become factionless, a fate worse than death. Those who have various traits are called Divergent and are sentenced to death.

Tris is divergent.

I found Tris to be a unique dystopian YA heroine in that she can be very unlikable at times. And she knows it. She knows that she’s not selfless enough, not good enough to stay in her faction, Abnegation. Even as she feels a pull to stay in what she knows, she also knows she won’t be able to stand the constant feeling of failure, annoyance and resentment at the inherent goodness of those around her, who don’t even have to try. It feels relatable to a college student even as a young adult choosing between leaving the safety of home to explore who you could be or fear of the unknown.

So she choose Dauntless which had also fascinated her and sparked interest because she truly is courageous. It’s not the typical courage that one would think of that comes with easily winning fights and bullying others. But the courage to become more than she believes capable, to stand up for what’s right as “bravery is another form of selfless” and vice versa which Roth’s characters poignantly repeat.

This is a major theme in the book as Roth’s world may seem to be split into five factions but human nature and identity is a lot more complicated than that. I admire how unique the thinking of the characters are, how they believe certain traits are stagnant and unchangable, mocking others for their home factions, or saying if one is being eloquent, they’re acting too Erudite etc. It really makes the world distinct. But Tris’ divergence wrecks havoc with all that by being more than one thing, and she comes to embrace that complexity.

And while each faction has its certain virtue, those virtues have a downside Tris discovers, that can be corrupted. Dauntless’ bravery forges camraderie and control over fear but has been twisted into bullying the weak and proving their pride. Erudite’s knowledge for knowledge and innovation’s sake has made them greedy and power-hungry, and so on. Some readers complained that the creation of the society through five factions is basic and unsustainable, it just didn’t make sense compared to the world-building of The Hunger Games and Matched. But I believe that’s exactly the point Roth is exploring here, human identity cannot be controlled or dissected to black and white, one trait over the other.

The traits we value can be replaced with vices we dislike. Something Tris struggles with as she tries to shed her weakness and becomes cruel (especially in one controversial scene where I dislike yet understand her actions). She is not kind all the time, she’s prideful, but she’s self-aware of it.

As for the other parts of the world, the society’s creation is a bit on shaky ground with the inter-faction fighting that goes on, but I really enjoyed seeing the unqiue traditions and customs of the Dauntless faction and seeing how Tris and her friends improve as they trained more. Roth has a great way with words that you can feel the ruthlessness, pain and adreneline that goes on in the initiation from jumping off roofs to getting your nose cracked.

The stimulations were also well-done in a futuristic-surreal way although I was a bit confused why Tris would take the risk to manipulate the stimulations, exposing herself as divergent when just pages before she vowed to keep a low cover. But then again, the book discussed Tris’ flaw of pride a lot and perhaps she let that take over in that she didn’t want to come last.

As the requisite YA romance, Tris and Four’s is done well and I can understand why Four would be attracted to her in sharing so many commonalities even as Tris is baffled by the attention at first. I’ll admit it seemed a bit fast but the timeline is a bit wonky that its been weeks but it feels so fast-paced that it feels like they’ve hooked up in a matter of days. However, it’s prioritized in a way that it doesn’t take up much of the plot and when it does, it’s to move it forward as Tris builds up muscle and self-esteem.

Since it ended on a cliffhanger and I vaguely remember the events of the Insurgent movie, I’m excited to see what happens next.