The most negative comments I've seen are about the fact that Tris and Tobias aren't a big happy couple. I felt this way too, at first. I wanted them to be together! After all, they are a couple, right? I didn't understand why they kept lying to each other. They simply could not be honest, and snuck behind each other's backs, and as a reader we know this isn't going to help their relationship. In general, I hate romances in books when the couple just can't get together simply because of a lack of communication and honesty, so I was getting frustrated with this one.
But then I realized -- this is all about trust. They don't trust each other. They can't. Insurgent, and possibly the whole Divergent world, is about trust. The factions certainly don't trust each other, and that is just getting worse. Look at Tris and Tobias' parents -- everything they've found out about their parents -- has that made them more trusting, do you think?
It would be totally out of character for Ross to have made Tris and Tobias work together, cooperate, and get along all the time. They simply don't have the foundation for this type of relationship. The big question is: Will they ever?
The world of Insurgent is so masterfully created, it seems real. However, I can't really say I can put myself in that world -- given it is so different than the world I live in. So, I'm trying very hard to pull myself back and think about the entire society, and why these characters behave as they do -- I think if you try, you will see Roth's depiction runs straight and true.
I will shout my recommendation for Insurgent and Divergent from the highest mountain (well, I live in Illinois, so....) Yes, if you like Hunger Games you will like these -- and in the case of me and most of my family, you will like these better.
Comments, as always, are welcome! I'd love to hear what you think.
Published by Katherine Tegen Books, May 1, 2012
Copy borrowed from my son-in-law
544 pages
Rating: 5/5
Great review/book discussion! Reading this makes me want to read both Insurgent and Divergent :)
ReplyDeleteI would never trust Tris after her running off with Marcus. That was big. That fact that she did that to Four is awful.. even if she had a "good" reason. There is no communication between them.
ReplyDeleteAngie
Based on the planned cover art for the next two books, I think it's definitely a guarantee that we'll be able to learn more about some of the other factions later on in the series.
ReplyDeleteAnd hurrah, a book we agree on!
regards,
maycee of Gift Basket