Devouring The Hunger Games

Within a 24 hour period last week I saw five different people hidden in corners consuming a newly popular novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Two of these people were my co-workers, which I found odd because I figured this would be a little bit juvenile for them. I took the opportunity to ask one of my fellow employees what the book was about and why she had decided to read it. She told me it was like nothing she had ever read before and it was a lot better than she expected. She said she chose to read it to see what all the fuss was about. So, I decided to throw out my rule of never reading anything I don’t find remotely interesting and check it out. I went and purchased The Hunger Games, sat down and devoured it in one day.

My work associate was right. It’s not a typical read. It definitely piggybacks on the ideas of Huxley and Orwell. The whole post-modern society full of overbearing government control is getting a little old, but it will always have a soft spot in my heart. I was impressed with some of the themes that are streamed throughout the novel, including feminism, family values and sacrifice as well as living up the responsibilities that are expected of you. These are all themes that should be introduced to young readers, and Collins found an interesting way of appealing to her younger cross-gender demographic.

The main plot of the book is Katniss, a 16 year old girl, who sacrifices herself to take her younger sister’s spot in The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a yearly occurrence when the government requires two teenagers from each of 12 districts to fight for survival in an arena of natural terrain until there is only one person left. The participants are typically chosen at random, but volunteers can take the place of someone who has been selected against their will. The games are supposed to be a way to keep the citizens of the district under control and reminding them the government can take away their lives at any time.

This is where I start having a problem with the book. I’m not entirely sure how well an idea like this would keep control over the masses. The idea seems a little farfetched and inefficient in its process. The purpose for the games may not be very good, but the story of participation is well executed by Collins.

The descriptions Collins uses to are vivid and purposeful. She doesn’t use description for description’s sake like many other authors. The scenes are easily distinguishable and well laid out. The way she describes the map of the arena these kids are in is easy to follow and to imagine. Collins also does a very good job at putting detail into her characters. They each have well developed personalities and particular ways of speaking that makes it easier for the reader to follow along during dialogue scenes. Most of her scenarios are realistic with a touch of fantasy to keep the reader intrigued but not completely mind boggled.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book right up until the last three chapters. It kept me interested and I felt I could easily connect and understand the characters and situations. However, those last three chapters threw me for a loop. Once the story began to wind down it seemed as though Collins suddenly started to reach for the extreme. She put in some kind of pseudo “werewolf” that had nothing to do with the story and doesn’t expand on it at all, leaving the reader baffled as to why it was referenced in the first place. Then at the end, a teenage love-triangle develops that resembles all too closely the scenarios of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.

I understand why Collins threw in the love-triangle. The book gears towards a younger crowd, and up until that point the plot is mostly hunting and war. It dips into gore, which appeals more to the young males. The love-triangle gives something to young females. Collins was smart to appeal to the audience as a means of getting her message across; but for me, it was more of an unnecessary annoyance.

I plan on seeing the film when it comes out and writing a review as well as a comparison between the two. So stay tuned, there is more to come.