Hungering for More Dystopia
Read this?
Then you might want to read this:
Especially if you are needing another dystopian novel read.
Once finishing the Hunger Games trilogy I found myself cruising the library stacks looking for something to fill the void. I needed another Katniss. I craved more page-turning plot. I required a book, make that another series, about individuals standing up against the system. My book booster buddy, “E”, suggested I try out Divergent by Veronica Roth. I put in my library request. And waited. Long wait. Apparently others had discovered Roth’s writing filled their void as well.
The basics:
Sometime in the future and we’ve got some serious Dystopian times. Society is now divided up into five factions and upon turning sixteen a person must decide which faction he or she will choose. This will be a life-changing decision: families will be separated and relationships tried, refined and perhaps broken.
Beatrice chooses a faction other than the one she grew up with and she finds herself in a totally alien environment. She struggles with her identify, as well the values she’s grown up with all her life. She also lives with the fact she hides a secret–one that could get her killed if it is revealed.
What I like:
Sure the plot is similar to Hunger Games, and that’s one reason why I like the book. It has a page-turning plot, a strong and likable protagonist, a government gone wrong, and a love interest brewing in the background. The rich vocabulary is worth mentioning, as well as the restraint on gratuitous violence, sex, and swearing–which is one reason Hunger Games was such a winner in my opinion. Divergent is almost 600 pages. I devoured it in two days. Devouring pages is one of my requirements for a good book.
On the subject of dystopia–why am I, like so many other readers, attracted to stories about societies gone wrong? Personally, I am not a person who appreciates chaos, yet I find myself intrigued by books where the world is on the verge of disorder and disruption. Hmm, some reflection. Am I attracted to what I fear? Am I heartened and relieved that when I put down the book I still have a voice, an identity, and a vote? To get even more analytical here is a quick list of dystopian books from way past to recent read:
College (of course)
High School (oh yeah–gotta love that required reading)
And the short stories of those wonderful curriculum textbooks (okay, a couple I like)
Recent Reads of My Own Volition:
Maybe utopia would be too easy to envision. What could be interesting about a perfect world? What do they teach in the short story unit–yes, you do too know: no conflict, no story. I guess as much as I crave peace, it’s the conflict that keeps things interesting.
Pam Webb 