Divergent is a 2011 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth and the first book in the Divergent trilogy. In the dystopian Chicago where Beatrice Prior lives, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to cultivating a specific virtue: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peace), and Erudite (intelligence). On a specific day each year, every sixteen-year-old must choose one of these factions and dedicate the rest of their life to it.