What is Divergent? Everything you need to know about Shailene Woodley's movie

We know. We know. Catching Fire has only just slipped into the rearview mirror, so it's difficult to give much thought to another young adult franchise. Much less one that has been repeatedly - and tiresomely - billed as "The new Hunger Games!".

For the record, it isn't. Veronica Roth's Divergent series does feature a strong-minded young female protagonist in Tris Prior (played in the upcoming film by Shailene Woodley), and it does take place in a dystopian future where American society has been divided into several factions. There the similarities end.

But there's still plenty to get to grips with in the world of Divergent, and following the release of the first full trailer, Digital Spy has put together a cheat sheet explaining the basics.

The Factions
Divergent takes place in a dystopian future Chicago where citizens are divided into five factions, each one focused on cultivating a different personality trait. The factions are Dauntless (the brave), Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent), and each individual must choose a faction at the age of 16.

Children are raised within their family faction, and the concept of defecting to another faction is controversial although perfectly legal. To help make the decision the government provides an Aptitude Test, which is designed to conclusively tell a person which faction they fit into best. Think of it like the Sorting Hat, only with more psychological scarring.

The Aptitude Test
Much like GCSEs, the Aptitude Test is an annual assessment taken with dread and apprehension by every 16-year-old. Unlike GCSEs, there's no revision required.

The test is administered in a clinic-like room with mirrored walls, described as being a lot like a dentist's office. As we saw in the trailer, the subject has electrodes attached to their head and is given a serum to drink which connects them to a simulated reality.

In the simulation, the subject is thrown into a series of scenarios, and their choices in response to each one will decide which faction they belong in by process of elimination. One scenario involves cheese. One involves a burn victim. One involves a rabid dog.

Tris, aka Beatrice Prior
Beatrice, who later renames herself Tris, is the exception to the rule. Her test results are "inconclusive", which you'd imagine shouldn't be that uncommon, since human beings are complex and unpredictable and not typically that easy to categorise into perfectly discrete groups, but apparently is in fact very rare.

Tris's result indicates that she doesn't fit neatly into any of the five factions, meaning that she is "divergent". She has equal aptitude for Erudite, Dauntless and Abnegation, the latter being her family's faction, and has to decide which of the three to join.

But tensions between the five factions are mounting, and it has become very dangerous to be divergent, which means Tris has to keep her true nature secret at all costs. After choosing the Dauntless faction (which emphasises bravery), she has to try even harder than the average initiate to fit in.

Initiation
Once you choose your faction, there is no guarantee you'll be accepted - a lengthy initiation process determines which people are allowed to stay permanently.

If a person fails their initiation, they will become factionless, a state described as being "worse than death". Being factionless is much like being homeless; those without a faction will struggle to find even low-paying jobs and will live as drifters.

Four, aka Tobias Eaton
So far, so chilling, but no young adult dystopia would be complete without a love interest. And refreshingly in the case of Divergent, there's no triangle in sight.

Four is assigned as instructor to the Dauntless initiates, and he's the first person Tris meets after choosing. She jumps headlong into a dark pit in order to prove her bravery (as you do) and when she lands, it's Four who takes her hand and helps her up. Meet cute!

We won't spoil where things go from there, but there's one particularly memorable, very romantic moment atop a Ferris wheel, which Woodley recently singled out as her favourite moment of shooting.

Divergent will be released on April 4, 2014 in the UK, and March 21 in the US.
Divergent

Emma Dibdin

Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. She loves owls, hates cilantro, and can find the queer subtext in literally anything.