DIVERGENT

At 16, Beatrice must choose the societal faction she will join. Emma Galvin’s blunt narration of this dystopian novel portrays Tris’s gruff exterior as she defies expectations, her own included, with her choice. Galvin conveys Tris’s emotional growth as she moves through a brutal initiation, making new friends and finding first love. Though Galvin’s narration is concentrated on giving Tris the perfect voice, she never neglects the secondary characters. Poignant moments with Tris’s mother and Four, her leader and love, are subtly nuanced to let listeners hear the terror Tris often hides. When she discovers a plot to overthrow the government, the pace never slackens, and listeners will hold their breath waiting to see if she can survive the day. J.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]