Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Divergent Trilogy #2)

9/10

Veronica Roth's bestselling Divergent seemed to take the world by surprise, an unexpected book that happened to be released at just the right time to resonate with audiences and critics alike. Telling the story of a dystopian world in which humanity is separated into five factions (Abnegation, Candour, Amity, Erudite, and Dauntless), it follows the experience of a girl named Beatrice who chooses to abandon her selfless Abnegation family in favour of the fearless and brave Dauntless. As it happens, Beatrice is also counted among those who do not perfectly fit in any single faction, a group feared and hated by their society, known only as the Divergent.

In Insurgent, Roth expands on her carefully built world even more than in Divergent. After an attempted uprising by the Erudite in the last book, who developed a mind-control serum, Beatrice and her friends were forced to flee for safety, but they are anything but safe. The Erudite seem to be focusing singularly on the Divergent for reasons unknown, while the factionless (the homeless dropouts from all factions) have resistance plans of their own. And all the while, there are hints of something worse, a secret which the Erudite know that they have kept to themselves that will change everything forever. Eventually, Beatrice is forced to make a terrible choice in order to try and end the bloodshed.

Insurgent is a remarkable adventure which I enjoyed almost more than Divergent. Roth's terse and clipped writing style keeps the story ripping along at breakneck speed, a prose style as utilitarian and unadorned as the world it describes. One does find oneself wishing there was more description in places, but Roth's style works well for her genre. The only other occasionally bothersome element to the story was the relationship between Tris and Tobias, which features some artificial tension to ramp up the conflict in the story. Otherwise, the novel was spectacular, with enough narrative twists and turns to keep anyone happy. The structure of the novel may be Roth's best strength in this installment, as Beatrice's travels take her through all five factions and the factionless, without being able to belong in any of them. The thematic implication being that humans are more complex than the societal boxes we try to put ourselves and each other into, a theme also present in Divergent, artfully executed.

Highly recommended.