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All About Divergent (novel)
Divergent is the debut novel of American novelist Veronica Roth, published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011
It is a young-adult dystopian novel set in the so-called Divergent Universe, that features a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago
The novel follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior as she explores her identity within a society that defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with five different factions
Underlying the action and dystopian focused main plot is a romantic subplot between Tris and one of her instructors in the Dauntless faction, nicknamed Four.
There is a clear resemblance between Divergent main structure and Asimov's short story Profession first published in July 1957
The novel has also been compared to other young adult books such as The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner because of its similar themes and target audience
In particular, the novel explores the themes common to young adult fiction, such as adult authority and the transition from childhood to maturity, as well as broader motifs, such as the place of violence and social structures within a post-apocalyptic society
Its major plot device, the division of society into personality types, is one used in other science fiction works
Beyond its literary context, Roth's open declaration of her religion as a Christian has brought commentary from Christian communities both endorsing and challenging the novel.
Roth wrote Divergent while working on a creative writing degree at Northwestern University, and it was quickly purchased for publication
Divergent is the first book in a trilogy that was completed in October 2013
Roth's first book of short fiction set in the Divergent universe came out in July 2014: Four: A Divergent Collection, edited by Katherine Tegen
Summit Entertainment purchased the media rights to the book, and production on the movie, also titled Divergent, took place in 2013.