Book Review: The Hunger Games
Luke Earhart
October 9, 2009
Filed under A & E
Veering off from video games, a book review is what I am feeling right now. Not just any book, but one that I still call one of my favorites even though 95% of people I asked haven’t read it. I am of course talking about the not-so-famous (but still riveting) The Hunger Games. This excellent story by Suzanne Collins combines extremely developed characters and some really great action scenes, and is completely underrated.
First, I must talk about why this book is not well-known. My main theory is that it came out about the same time as the Twilight series hype (in both positive and extremely negative ways.) It was just foul luck that this book came out during this time, but nonetheless it flew under the radar. Much criticism was met when Stephanie Meyer won best Kids’ Choice Author last year; many believe Collins should have won.
The setting of the book is in a post-apocalyptic United States, now called Panem. It is separated into 12 Districts (the 13th was nuked during the last rebellion and is said to be completely uninhabitable). Each district has its own specific resources. For example, the 11th district harvests fruits and grain while the 4th fishes. The main character is Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl, who lives in District 12 and has to more or less raise her sister Primrose alone because her mother is in a deep depression from her husband’s death. This novel isn’t all ponies, flowers, and other girl stuff; it’s actually pretty dark. The oppressive Capitol is the only place in Panem where the citizens personify the phrase “Ignorance is Bliss.” In the novel, the main plot point is Panem’s Hunger Games, which have taken place every year since the rebellion.
The Hunger Games are inspired from the Greek myth “Theseus,” where the nation of Athens must send young men and women to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur. The Capitol sends a clear message that we won’t just kill you, we’ll kill your children. And kill they will. Every year a boy and girl “tribute” from every district (equaling to 24) are sent to face off in a Gladiatorial Arena. The whole Games are mandatory screening for all the citizens of Panem, and is shown on all the TVs across the country.
The other tribute from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, the son of the local baker. While he is kind-hearted and has had a crush on Katniss for a long time, he appears rather shy at the beginning of the novel. He and Katniss receive a mentor-like figure before the Games so they can learn what to do and how to survive. The last person to win in a District becomes the new tributes’ guide. The 12’s guide is Haymitch Abernathy, an old drunkard who is made a mockery because he often appears wasted on live television. Without giving too much away, Haymitch does prove to be a great sponsor of Katniss and Peeta and helps them in the arena through supply drops the tributes can receive.
The writing style of Suzanne Collins reminds me much of R.A. Salvatore in that she can write a huge, explosive action sequence, and then still remind us that these characters are fully fleshed out and not just killing machines. This book is filled with emotions, ranging from sadness to comedic relief, which is mostly dark humor due to the story being in a dystopian society. So I implore all you readers out there to give The Hunger Games a chance, you will not be disappointed. In fact, a new sequel came out recently called Catching Fire, which I plan on reviewing next week, so get the first from the library (we do have one in our school) and read it.
