The Hunger Games

Posted by Jen on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 @ 8:33 pm

I’d heard a lot about THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins before I began reading it last night when it was given to me as a Christmas present. I’d heard only good things, and I’d hyped it up in my mind, convinced I’d love it. I was also scared I was expecting too much and would end up disappointed.

Well, it lived up to the hype.

I finished it this evening after spending much of the cold winter day under a blanket and reading. I devoured it. It’s dark, sometimes scary and it is violent. It’s also heartbreaking, compelling and smart, with a few dashes of humor mixed in. And the main character? I was rooting for her all the way which I don’t say lightly.

The book takes place in a future dystopian society that you like to think could never happen, but while reading, have an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach that it actually could. I think that’s part of what pulled me in: how realistic and believable it seemed despite how horrible living under such a government would be.

In what used to be North America is a new nation called Panem with twelve distinct districts. There used to be a thirteenth before the rebellion against the government. And then, the government wiped it out. In order to remind the other districts of the consequences of a rebellion and to punish them for their traitorous crimes, the Capitol has developed the Hunger Games, where both a girl and a boy from each district is chosen. All twenty-four of them are shipped to an arena, which could be a swamp, a forest, mountains, etc, where they all must fight each other to the death on live television. Only one can be left standing.

So, when the 12 year old sister of Katniss (16) is chosen for the games, Katniss steps in and volunteers as her replacement. She’s certain doing this means her own death.

—–

I’ve read a lot of great books this year. If this isn’t my favorite of 2008, it’s definitely in the top five. This is one of those books I can’t wait to reread down the road.

Comments

By Dan on December 21st, 2008 at 9:07 pm

I’ve heard quite a bit about this one, too, and I’m interested in checking it out.

I don’t know why, but I really like how the basic premise reminds me of the story of Theseus.

By Diana Peterfreund on December 21st, 2008 at 9:27 pm

Dan, I think it’s supposed to, as well as the Games in the Colosseum, in the sort of “fight to the death in order to amuse the rich and contain the masses” way. One of the things that most impressed me in the book was the way that Katniss’s rich “handlers” see the whole thing in such a remarkably different way. It’s horrifying.

So Jen? What was your opinion on that one scene toward the end? I loved the whole book except for that one part, which I thought was the only thing that didn’t seem in keeping with the rest of what we understood about the world.

By Jen on December 21st, 2008 at 10:02 pm

Dan - I think the author stated in an interview that she modeled it after the story of Theseus.

Diana - Oh, you mean arrival of the…things (don’t want to spoil anyone), don’t you. I was actually looking forward to seeing how the whole Cato thing panned out and was disappointed at the way it actually played out. A little anti-climatic, I thought. I actually have a couple of other thoughts about the logic behind it, but I don’t want to spoil anyone who hasn’t read it yet.