If you’re looking for a decent read (or to find out which books to stay well away from) then this blog, amongst many others, is a good place to start looking :o) One of the other places where I go to pick up tips is the Westeros forum where people are incredibly well read and really know what they are talking about. If they like a book then you can bet it will be a good one!
It was this that made my decision, whether to read ‘The Hunger Games’ or not, a lot easier. I’m trying to include more YA fiction here but am really picky about what I read. After all, there’s a whole load of adult genre fiction that I want to get to first! I saw the recommendation on Westeros and decided to give it a try. I’m glad that I did!
In an America of the future, the downtrodden districts are kept in line (by the affluent Capitol) by having to send their children to compete in ‘The Hunger Games’; a reality TV event where the only rule is kill or be killed. When sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen steps forward, to take her sister’s place, she has no idea what the Games will hold other than that her death in the arena is a near certainty. However, Katniss has a few tricks up her sleeve that even she is unaware of. Living in one of the most impoverished districts can set someone up to be a real competitor in the Hunger Games. Game on...
‘The Hunger Games’ is one of those books where I ended up staying awake long into the night to finish it and find out what happened to Katniss. I felt like death warmed up the next day but it was worth it. Once it hit its stride (the build up to the Games themselves is a bit slow) ‘The Hunger Games’ was in no mood to let me go and I was in no mood to put it down.
The first part of the book sets the scene for this America of the future and there’s not really a lot to set it apart from any other post apocalyptic vision you might come across. The masses are downtrodden while the elite live it up without a care in the world. Collins makes up for this by laying it on thick with her portrayal of this world, I was left in no doubt as to what it meant to be oppressed and live on that fine line where one mistake could lead to starvation. Hunger is what this book is all about and the contrast between the Districts and the Capitol is made through the food that people can lay their hands on and how easy it is (or isn’t) to do this. Collins makes this difference very clear although (going off on a slight tangent) I was left wondering why food seems to be such a big deal in the YA fiction that I’ve read. Seriously, think about the YA books that you’ve read and how much the authors make of the food on offer at tea parties, banquets etc.
Anyway, back on topic...
The opening chapters are slow going but necessarily so in terms of setting things up and setting them against a well painted backdrop. Once the games begin, the pace ramps up a gear and stays there... Collins is very good at laying things on the line and showing the reader just how important they are. The arena is all about survival, even if you’re not fighting another contestant. You’re not just at the mercy of capricious games masters either, if you can’t find anything to eat or drink then you’re in real trouble... Katniss goes through this ordeal and her character shines through as she negotiates the pitfalls. Here is a person with huge reservoirs of mental strength that propel her through the physical and mental challenges. Collins does a fine job of maintaining the tension throughout the book. Not only does Katniss not know what is round the next corner but she also doesn’t know who she can trust; winning is the most important thing and people will do anything to be the last one standing...
It’s kill or be killed in the arena and it was here that I thought Collins dropped the ball a little, at least as far as I was concerned. Although Collins isn’t afraid to have death make an appearance, she isolates Katniss from this reality by having her either hide from the other contestants (a lot of the deaths take place off the page) or have other people do the job for her. Katniss is witness to death, and kills one person, but I ended up feeling that Collins didn’t want to take the risk and explore the notion of killing to survive any further. This robbed Katniss’ progression of any sense that it had been earned. To be fair though, ‘The Hunger Games’ is a book for people who are eleven years old (plus) so I can’t really blame Collins for wanting to tone things down a bit! As far as my reading went though, it felt like a trick was missed to make the book a lot more than it ended up being...
Despite this though, I enjoyed ‘The Hunger Games’ immensely and am looking forward to seeing what happens next. The Games may be over but the story definitely isn’t...
Eight and Three Quarters out of Ten
1 comment:
I too felt that Collins deliberately toned down the book at the later part of the story. I was really disappointed. It could have been so much better if she had taken the plunge and turned it into a more adult book. Nevertheless, it's still a great book for it's young audience.
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