What happened to veronica roth after divergent?

by megan hemenway

art by hailey kroll

Let me take you back in time. It’s 2012. Barack Obama’s in office. The iPhone 5 just hit the market. One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young” might be playing on the car radio. Many believe the world will end before the end of the year. Yet, this dystopia isn’t too hard to fathom. Weirdly enough, in 2012, dystopia is in.

In the early 2010s, there was a young adult dystopian craze. Every new book centered on a brave heroine several generations in the future, who was forced to live in a cruel and oppressive society that she would, inevitably, break down with her bare hands. During this time, I was tucked onto my couch with the latest New York Times bestseller. First, it was The Hunger Games. Then it was The Selection, The Giver, The Maze Runner, and The 5th Wave. But the book that impacted me the most was Divergent.

Divergent is a 2011 novel that follows Beatrice, a 16-year-old girl living in a futuristic version of Chicago where the city is split into factions. When Beatrice instinctively joins the Dauntless faction after growing up among the risk-averse Abnegation, everyone is shocked. The rest of the book follows Beatrice, now going by the much chicer nickname, Tris, as she learns to be fearless. 

Let’s fast forward to the present day. The book world is in a major flux. Booktok has reignited many people’s love for reading. With just a swipe, you can access thousands of book recommendations. But does New York Times bestseller, Goodreads Award winner, and author of Divergent, Veronica Roth ever figure into these recommendations? In my experience, no.

Veronica Roth was born in New York City in 1988, but spent most of her childhood in and around Chicago. Roth attended Northwestern University as a Creative Writing major circa 2008 and came out of the program a published author. After writing Divergent during the winter of her senior year, she quickly picked up a book deal and pumped out two more installments. Then came the movie adaptation starring Shailene Woodley, and its sequels. Then…nothing.

After publishing one of the most popular young adult book series of the 2010s, Roth has virtually disappeared, at least from online bookish spaces. Content creators reference their nostalgic love for Divergent or criticize it for its basic tropes, but no one ever wonders where Roth is now. No one is eagerly awaiting her newest release.

The real shocker is, Veronica Roth has published many books after Divergent. Even more surprising than that, some of them may actually be good.

In the years immediately following the Divergent books, Roth went quiet for a while  Then, in 2017, she returned with a young adult sci-fi duology set in space. Her next novel, a superhero story, debuted in 2020. A dystopian book came next, quickly followed by an Antigone retelling, and a sci-fi novella. Roth’s most recent release is a Polish folklore-inspired fantasy.

So, I’m left with a burning question: if Veronica Roth continued writing after Divergent, why does no one care?

In my opinion, there are a lot of factors at play. Despite Divergent’s overnight success, it didn’t exactly age well. In the face of superior dystopian novels like The Hunger Games, it wilted under the pressure. Roth creates an exciting and fast-paced world, but it lacks the depth of Collins’ Panem. Therefore, as the hype around Divergent died, so did the hype around Roth.

Ultimately, I think Veronica Roth deserves more attention. I cannot argue that all of her books are amazing, but I feel strongly that the book community needs to give Roth another chance. Her most recent release, When Among Crows, is a short yet action-packed tale that is atmospheric, evocative, and definitely worth the read.

There is a chance that Veronica Roth is not deserving of any hype. Perhaps she truly peaked with Divergent. However, there is an audience for every book, and isn’t it fair to give everyone a second chance?

So, if you were braiding your hair for school every morning like Katniss Everdeen or drawing the Divergent symbols on your arms with a pen during class, then I formally invite you to try Veronica Roth one more time. Maybe Divergent no longer has to be a fond memory.