OCTOBER ENJOYMENT READING
Four: A Divergent Story Collection By Veronica Roth
Four: A Divergent Story Collection
by Veronica Roth
Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Dystopian
285 pages
3 out of 4 stars recommendation ★★★☆
by Veronica Roth
Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Dystopian
285 pages
3 out of 4 stars recommendation ★★★☆
Four by Veronica Roth, is a collection of short stories based off of the Divergent trilogy, also written by Roth. It includes four short stories-The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, The Traitor- and three exclusive scenes from the original novels. The entire book takes a step back two years before the original Divergent series starts, and follows the events leading up to and during the first conflict in Divergent, through a different point of view. Four follows the journey of a boy, named Tobias Eaton, suffering from a past of child abuse and violence and longing for an escape from it all. He lives in a dystopian city of Chicago, where people are segregated into five factions-Abnegation for selflessness, Amity for peace, Candor for truth, Dauntless for bravery, and Erudite for Knowledge. At the age of sixteen, members of each faction are given the privilege to stay in the faction of birth or transfer to another faction, based on their aptitude test results. The factions are a system put into place to mold people’s virtues and shape their thinking. And so far generations have past with peace between the factions. But when Tobias comes along, with the opportunity to escape Abnegation and leave the violence of his abusive father behind, he chooses Dauntless, going against the aptitude he was supposedly destined for. Early on during initiation, Tobias realizes that he flourishes in Dauntless, as he speedily climbs the Dauntless hierarchy. And claims the name “Four”, as he holds the record of the fewest fears ever. Dauntless becomes a place for him have a new beginning and forget the person he once was ashamed of; to find his true identity. But his decisions have a consequence. People like him, who can think for themself and have the aptitude for more than one faction are dangerous. And if they are caught they are killed. He is now forced to act and think like the Dauntless, hiding his true identity to avoid being caught for breaking the system. He soon comes to find that his decision was not only a risk, but something that would affect future initiates, his own future, and the entire faction system.
I recommend this book especially for people who have read the entire Divergent series. It really sets the scene of what the factions were like before Divergent and uncovers all the mysteries surrounding Four. It allows you to truly experience the heart and soul of Four and the development of relationships between him and other characters, that you would not have been able to have connected with in the series. I also reccomend this book for those of you who haven’t read a single Divergent book and are just struggling to find fun and enjoyable read. This book captures all a novel should and more. It presents a stronger voice of a character that was begging to come alive on the page, it adds background information on the past and the present events the characters experience, and it was personally very thought provoking.
One thing that was very unique about the way this story collection was written, was the apparent voice. Not only was the book told from Four’s perspective, a point of view fans were asking to be explored, but he was much more defined. It allowed me to connect better with his character knowing his past experience and watch him develop friendships with other supporting characters from the series. Although most of the third novel, Allegiant, was also written from Four’s perspective, this voice was much more complex. In Allegiant his character was supporting the main character, Tris’ thoughts and they sort of overlapped. While the writing style in the story collection, it was as if Four spoke for himself. I’d alway wondered what thoughts would be running through the mind of a man who only had four fears, but now that I have read Four I can imagine it being very similar to anybody else’s. For example,on page 165, Four says “...because young people are easier shaped and molded. I will not be molded and shaped by Jeanine Matthews. I will not be a pawn, not for them and not for my mother and not for my father; I will not belong to anyone but myself.” Through this quote, it opens up the character to reveal his vulnerability and journey to identity. And with that his inner strength.
Four also provides much needed background information, specifically on Four’s past. We learn in detail how his abusive father makes him feel and how his fears cause him to react. It really supports the character’s hero’s journey from a defenseless and naive boy to a conscientious man who learns to thrive in adversity. As stated on page 256, “... But when confronted with those things, I can act, I’m never paralyzed. My four fears, if I’m not careful, will paralyze me. That’s the only difference.” We also learn that sometimes Four is not only scarred from what he experienced with his father, but also somewhat grateful. As he says on page 97, “It feels strange, to know that he must have been trying to protect me. Like he’s not quite the monster I imagine, the one I see in my worst nightmares.” Without this information on the characters rough past and how the factions were before the series, the events in the series would not have had as great an effect.
Lastly, my favorite thing about the book is it’s oddly striking and thought provoking quotes and ideas. I was really struck by the idea that, “Fear doesn’t shut you down… It wakes you up.” (page 241) Which is an idea I could have never stated so simply. Another thing that left me thinking was, “‘Intentions are the only thing they care about. They try to make you think they care about what you do, but they don’t. They don’t want you to act a certain way, they want you to think a certain way. So you’re easy to understand. So you won’t pose a threat to them.’” (page 240) This is a concept immensely written about in dystopian and utopian society books, and it was really phrased well to get the point across. When I read this in the book, I was thinking about how this could be true in our real lives. For example, advertisements and politics could influence and even control what we think on a daily basis.
Overall, Four was a very well thought out story collection that resubmerged me into the world of Divergent and made me rethink everything I had thought before. A great read for both Divergent trilogy fans and readers seeking a thrill, Four: A Divergent Story Collection is sure to please its readers.
I recommend this book especially for people who have read the entire Divergent series. It really sets the scene of what the factions were like before Divergent and uncovers all the mysteries surrounding Four. It allows you to truly experience the heart and soul of Four and the development of relationships between him and other characters, that you would not have been able to have connected with in the series. I also reccomend this book for those of you who haven’t read a single Divergent book and are just struggling to find fun and enjoyable read. This book captures all a novel should and more. It presents a stronger voice of a character that was begging to come alive on the page, it adds background information on the past and the present events the characters experience, and it was personally very thought provoking.
One thing that was very unique about the way this story collection was written, was the apparent voice. Not only was the book told from Four’s perspective, a point of view fans were asking to be explored, but he was much more defined. It allowed me to connect better with his character knowing his past experience and watch him develop friendships with other supporting characters from the series. Although most of the third novel, Allegiant, was also written from Four’s perspective, this voice was much more complex. In Allegiant his character was supporting the main character, Tris’ thoughts and they sort of overlapped. While the writing style in the story collection, it was as if Four spoke for himself. I’d alway wondered what thoughts would be running through the mind of a man who only had four fears, but now that I have read Four I can imagine it being very similar to anybody else’s. For example,on page 165, Four says “...because young people are easier shaped and molded. I will not be molded and shaped by Jeanine Matthews. I will not be a pawn, not for them and not for my mother and not for my father; I will not belong to anyone but myself.” Through this quote, it opens up the character to reveal his vulnerability and journey to identity. And with that his inner strength.
Four also provides much needed background information, specifically on Four’s past. We learn in detail how his abusive father makes him feel and how his fears cause him to react. It really supports the character’s hero’s journey from a defenseless and naive boy to a conscientious man who learns to thrive in adversity. As stated on page 256, “... But when confronted with those things, I can act, I’m never paralyzed. My four fears, if I’m not careful, will paralyze me. That’s the only difference.” We also learn that sometimes Four is not only scarred from what he experienced with his father, but also somewhat grateful. As he says on page 97, “It feels strange, to know that he must have been trying to protect me. Like he’s not quite the monster I imagine, the one I see in my worst nightmares.” Without this information on the characters rough past and how the factions were before the series, the events in the series would not have had as great an effect.
Lastly, my favorite thing about the book is it’s oddly striking and thought provoking quotes and ideas. I was really struck by the idea that, “Fear doesn’t shut you down… It wakes you up.” (page 241) Which is an idea I could have never stated so simply. Another thing that left me thinking was, “‘Intentions are the only thing they care about. They try to make you think they care about what you do, but they don’t. They don’t want you to act a certain way, they want you to think a certain way. So you’re easy to understand. So you won’t pose a threat to them.’” (page 240) This is a concept immensely written about in dystopian and utopian society books, and it was really phrased well to get the point across. When I read this in the book, I was thinking about how this could be true in our real lives. For example, advertisements and politics could influence and even control what we think on a daily basis.
Overall, Four was a very well thought out story collection that resubmerged me into the world of Divergent and made me rethink everything I had thought before. A great read for both Divergent trilogy fans and readers seeking a thrill, Four: A Divergent Story Collection is sure to please its readers.