Veronica Roth’s ‘Divergent’ detour
Veronica Roth, author of the blockbuster dystopian Divergent series, has become a heroine in her own right — to her legions of teen fans. Her new book, Carve the Mark (Katherine Tegen Books), is just out, and it’s another exciting sci-fi tale, this time s
Q Can you give us a preview of Carve the Mark?
A It’s about a young man named Akos who’s kidnapped along with his brother and taken to his enemy’s country by the dictator of that country, Ryzek. Ryzek’s sister, Cyra, is someone who has a lot of struggles of her own. And it seems like (Akos and Cyra) might be able to help each other. But their cultures have been at war for a really long time, so the question is, can they help each other? Or is the conflict between their countries too much to overcome? That’s what the story’s about — and it’s in space!
Q From the books you’ve written, which character has a personality similar to yours?
AI try not to duplicate my personality in anyone. I’ve always said I feel a certain kinship with Tobias from Divergent because he’s a little quieter. I’m not like Cyra, and I’m not like Akos (laughs).
Q Cyra’s “current-gift” is her ability to impart awful pain to others, which she also suffers from herself. Do you know people who suffer from chronic pain or do you have experience with it yourself ?
A I definitely know people, and as far as personally it’s not something I’ve wanted to talk about because I think everyone is entitled to keep their struggles private. This is a very private thing for me, but unfortunately, since I’ve gotten a lot of questions online about this, I feel under a little pressure to say that, yeah, I do have experience with chronic pain. But I prefer to just leave it at that.
Q Were you nervous to leave Divergent and start something new?
A Oh yeah, definitely. Divergent was comfy for me. It was always a challenge, but it was a world I knew really well. The hard part was leaving the characters. They had been voices in my mind for years. They were like friends, constant companions. And so letting them go and trying to find that kind of closeness with new characters, that was the hardest part. But once I found that connection to them, it all started to come together.
Q What’s the status of the final Divergent movie?
A I think the last piece of information that anybody saw is that they maybe are going to develop it for TV? Maybe not? Who knows? That’s as much as I know. I’m not sitting here on some secrets. Me and the fans are in the same boat on this one: Wait and see.
Q What did you think of the movies?
A The first movie was definitely the closest to the book. … I think as the movies went on, they lost a little bit of the Tris and Four dynamic.