Insurgent Review

Full disclosure, as with Divergent, I saw the movie of this book but since it’s been forever, I only remember three scenes from it so this felt almost brand-new.

Just hours since the ending of Divergent, Roth quickly picks up the momentum in Divergent with Tris and her friends (and some enemies) heading to the only potential safe house in the Amity faction as the survivors come together to figure out what’s happening next in this war.

Because this is a war. Erudite was willing to kill all of Abnegation for the information they held, and are picking up half the Dauntless faction to seize control of the entire government. Their only option is to sway Amity, and Candor to their side and ally with the Factionless. But as in any power vacuum, there are many heads vying for control and Tris doesn’t know who to trust and what they’re fighting for.

Since this takes places only hours since her parents’ death, killing her friend and running from near death at least three different types, Tris is in an emotionally tumulteous place. Even though she’s able to function, the guilt and depression is weighing her down on the inside.

Of course, this can bring to mind Katniss and her self-loathing mental state i Mockingjay but Roth explores a different facet of handling grief. While Katniss feels guilty of all the heinous things she has done, she is a pragmatic character and can reason that she was doing it to survive, and to protect her friends. Tris was also trying to survive but it also stems from being self-aware of her personality. She knows that she can be ruthless and unlikable, that some of her worst actions came from malice and hatred so she spends most of her time in a self-destructive fague where rash emotions control herself. She even admits that there’s a part of her that wants death. Besides missing her parents, she also feels that it is the only way to redeem the fact that she’s partially responsible for their deaths.

It can get a bit lost with everything else that is going on, and I know some may be annoyed by how impulsive Tris is being, how it’s hurting her cause, her loved ones and herself but I still admire how Roth is willing to go there and show tRis at her bottom before crawling her way to the realization that she does want to keep fighting. She’s very human in that in this fragile state that she wants to be coddled for once yet is too prideful to admit her pain and all those messy complications that come with grief and guilt.

On offset to this guilt is that it’s added when Christina realizes Tris had pulled the trigger on Will. It makes her feel isolated as Tobias is also distant with his dealings with the Factionless (more on that later) so readers get to spend more time with the dauntless-born like Uriah, Lynn and Marlene. It was great to learn more about them and a smart choice for Roth to get readers more invested in the trio as the war hits them the hardest in different ways.

As for what Tobias is doing in all this. He feels more fleshed out. In the previous book, he had been the brooding mentor figure with a mysterious past and vulnerable heart hidden behind his great will-power. Now, he feels more human than an archtype. He’s understanding of Tris’ grief but it brings up more conflict between them as he can’t stand her self-destructive tendencies. Furthermore, as the refugees meet up with the Factionless, readers find out that Tobias’ mother is alive! She’s the leader of this group and her confident nature gives off an undercurrent of power-hungry ruthlessness that Tris doesn’t trust. Especially as she urges Tobias to become leader of the Dauntless which Tobias never had interest in before.

It seems like a natural segueway since Tobias has the charisma and the care for his troops needed in a leader but he may have a blindspot regarding his mom and that leads to some real conflict between Tris and him when she realizes that he’s withholding plans from her just as she’s withholding her guilt from him. It brings about one major theme in that Tris realizes you can’t never really know someone, just trust them. I love this sort of internal conflict for couples.

There’s plenty of universe-lore for readers to enjoy as Tris goes from one faction to another to find allies, enemies and cowards among the Candor, Erudite and Amity. Readers find out a little more about how each faction’s unique technology, architecture/structure, argument/debate stage, ceremonies and values. Of course, they are filtered through Tris’ sometimes biased thoughts, readers will still be able to see the flaws and values of each society’s methods of living. There’s also plenty of action in each faction where Roth shows the one-step-ahead planning of Janine that adds real suspense to the proceedings in how they could possibly fight against such a smart and cruel machine of a woman.

Which reminds me Janine shows her height of cruelty in that hers is that of an apathetic scientist who will open your brain with a smile because accumulating knowledge is more important than someone’s life and pain. But without Janine, Roth wouldn’t be able to explore a bit more of how Divergence works in contrast to the rest of society and why they’re so feared.

I’ve come to believe that everyone is divergent in some way. I mean yes, Tris, Tobias and others are Divergent with a capital D because they are able to manipulate stimulations and avoid mind-control serums, but since everyone who transfers from a faction still retains some traits from their former faction, they show an ability to adapt and be flexible. It continues Roth’s theme that “faction before blood” may be the mantra of society, but human traits cannot be fit into one box.

Readers will surely enjoy the war between factions as well Tris’ internal war as she fights to uncover the real truth of why they’re fighting. It brings another prominant theme, asking what is truly important in society-the choice between freedom, vengence and truth. There’s plenty of obstacles and backstabbing as Tris learns but it makes for a satisfying adventure.

Plus the cliffhanger is a doozy! I saw the movie so I already knew what it was, but the explanation was confusing in execution so maybe I don’t actually know. Either way, I’ll find out next week in the the trilogy’s thrilling conclusion.