Divergent is the
debut novel of
American novelist Veronica Roth, published by
HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011. The novel is the first of the
Divergent trilogy, a series of
young-adult dystopian novels set in the Divergent Universe. The novel
Divergent features a
post-apocalyptic version of
Chicago and follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior as she explores her identity within a society that defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with
five factions, which removes the threat of anyone exercising independent will and re-threatening the population's safety. Underlying the action and dystopian focused main plot is a romantic subplot between Tris and one of her instructors in the Dauntless faction, nicknamed Four.