Review # 7: "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

WARNING:  A CORNUCOPIA OF SPOILERS LIES AHEAD. 

Unlike all of the other books I have reviewed so far this summer, I am not reading The Hunger Games for the first time.  When I first read the The Hunger Games, it was 2008. I read it on the recommendation of my friend and...  hated it, which was curious, because even at the time, it seemed like the sort of book that I should fall in love with almost immediately.  Obviously, I don’t enjoy every book that I read, even when they appear promising, still, I believe it is my presumed attraction to this series that drew me back to it 4 years later.  That, and my curiosity to see what millions of readers around the world were so excited about. 

Overall, I enjoyed my second reading of Hunger Games much more than my first.  Of course, despite the hype, it is not my favourite book I have ever read, and certainly not the best book I have read from the YA genre.  In general, I found Collins' prose to be rather uninspired, and was annoyed by her perpetual use of short sentences, for example: "She has no idea. The effect she can have," which is broken up in a way that totally ruins the effect of the sentence for me.  However, I have far more to say about the content of the book than its style:

I believe that my initial dislike of the book was due to a flawed understanding of the plot, resulting from reading much too fast.  I distinctly remember thinking that the book focused too much on the relationship between Katniss and Peeta, which I didn’t approve of, and allowed more important aspects of the plot to fall by the wayside (as I have seen happen in some other YA novels).  I understand now that this was because I thought that Peeta and Katniss’ relationship was meant to be separate from all of the politics of the games, and not a strategy to improve their chances and gain sponsors.  I remember disliking Peeta for being so greedy and constantly asking for Katniss to kiss him, etc. and being angry with Katniss for going along with all of this when she didn’t return Peeta’s feelings.

 

Now, I understand (unlike Katniss it seems) that Peeta’s feelings for Katniss were genuine even before the reaping, and that Peeta was just capitalizing on them during the games.  However, I still do not believe that Peeta was unaware that Katniss was doing the exact same thing; giving the audience and Peeta what they wanted by playing into the whole ‘star-crossed lovers’ bit.  Therefore, when Peeta went into a rage at the end of the book when it is revealed that Katniss may have been faking her affections, I was confused—which pretty much sums my feelings in general about Peeta Mellark’s character, who I had a very difficult time understanding and liking.

  

Enough about Peeta though, and on to Katniss.  In this regard, I must really commend Collins for writing such an independent and fierce female protagonist.  During my second reading, I paid a lot more attention to Katniss’ character, considering my interest in feminism, but also the huge influence that this book has made on teenage readers (like another wildly popular series I could mention...).  Although I hope readers never find themselves in the same situations that Katniss does, I think she is a good role model for how to deal with such situations nonetheless. I especially liked that, although Katniss does have completely human moments of weakness during her ordeal and faces truly horrific things, she never sees herself as a victim, but a survivor and a fighter.

    

My second reading also allowed me to think more about the games themselves.  I suppose I was too worried about whether Katniss and Peeta would get together during my first reading to really let the concept of the games sink in, but this time it did, and I was swept by waves of horror the further I read.  Like Gilead in Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale or London in George Orwell’s 1984, the world of Panem is a terrifying mirror of our own world, and I think that the concept of the games is so sickening because it doesn’t seem that far away from reality—especially considering the lengths people will go to on reality television to gain viewers.  In this way, I think that Collins has created a sharp critique of our own world, and a capable heroine aware enough of these problems to help fight against them.        

I am currently trying to get my hands on the second book, which I am genuinely looking forward to reading.  In it, I hope that 1. Collins explains more about the history of Panem and the uprising that led to the Hunger Games, that 2. Katniss continues to be a bad ass and rebel against the Capitol, and that 3. the entire thing isn't dragged down by a somewhat inevitable Twilight-esque love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale.  

Genre: Dystopian YA

Recommended To: Fans of Harry Potter; Young adult readers; fans of the dystopian genre

Rating: 7.5/10

Favourite Quotes:  "Yes, frosting.  The final defense of the dying." 

(Seriously, this was the only line I genuinely liked enough to quote).