Review: Divergent

I first became aware of Veronica Roth’s debut novel, Divergent, when it won the Goodreads Reader’s Choice Award for Best Book of 2011.  Maybe I live under a rock, but I had never heard of it.  Actually, no, I don’t live under a rock -- at least where books are concerned -- so I was beyond surprised that a book I was completely unaware of could sweep not only the YA category but also nab the Big Prize.

My curiosity was piqued, but when I headed over to my library’s website late last year and saw that the wait was 100+ days on the two copies of the book in the system, I shrugged and moved on to the next book on the TBR pile.  No harm, no foul, and I can’t get too worked up about a book about which I know nothing when there are so many others waiting for my attention.

Fast forward to last week.  I do not remember what brought Divergent back to mind, but on a whim I checked my the library website again to see if the wait was any better.  (I should explain that our library is part of a collective of ten or so branches that all share resources so the waiting lists for new release or popular books can fill up pretty quick.)   To my surprise, three of the four copies were checked out with l-o-n-g waiting periods; the fourth copy was sitting on the Display Shelves of my local branch.

By some happy circumstance, this particular copy was logged as a 7-day loan (which doesn’t leave its home branch) and apparently no one in our town knows about this book either.  Ok, universe.  Message received.

I curled up with Divergent Friday evening at nine o’clock and turned the last page Sunday morning at nine.  Wow.  What a ride.

Beyond the fact that Divergent was surfing the recent popularity wave of dystopian fiction, I knew nothing about the plot.  Goodreads sums it up like this: "In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all."

I am not usually a reader of YA fiction though I admit to (briefly) falling prey to the Twilight madness a couple of years ago.  Divergent was a fast-paced, original thrill ride.  If you enjoy books that keep you turning pages and that leave you hungry for the sequel (already scheduled for May 2012), I urge you to find a copy of this book.  While I’m still scratching my head over the Goodreads award (really? the best book? of the whole year?),  Divergent was a weekend well spent.

Final rating:  4 stars

Rating system:  1 star -- Don’t Bother
 2 stars -- Only If You’re Bored
 3 stars -- A Good Read
 4 stars -- Don’t Miss It
 5 stars -- Run, Don’t Walk, To Get This Book