Roth wrote Divergent while working on a Creative Writing degree at Northwestern University, and it was quickly purchased for publication alongside the subsequent books in the trilogy (published 20). Beyond its literary context, Roth's open declaration of her religion as a Christian has brought commentary from Christian communities both endorsing and challenging the novel. Its major plot device, the division of society into personality types, is one used in other science fiction works. Motifs considered within the post-apocalyptic society include the place of violence and social structure. In particular, the novel explores themes common to young adult fiction such as adult authority and the transition from childhood to maturity. The novel has been compared to other dystopian young adult books of the 21st century such as The Hunger Games (2008) and The Maze Runner (2009) because of its similar themes and target audience. Underlying the action- and dystopian-focused main plot is a romantic subplot between Tris and 'Four' (born Tobias Eaton), one of her instructors in the Dauntless faction. In the story, Beatrice Prior joins the ranks of the Dauntless and explores her new identity as 'Tris'. This rigid system has removed the threat of anyone exercising independent will and re-threatening the population's safety.

The society defines its citizens by their social and personality-related affiliation with one of five factions. The novel is the first in the Divergent series, a trilogy of young adult dystopian novels (plus a book of short stories) set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Divergent, the debut novel of American novelist Veronica Roth, was published by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2011.

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