July 16, 2012 by Erin

Allusion

Friday night around 8:30, I sat down with the first installment of Suzanne Collins’ trilogy-turned-phenomenon. Despite myself, I put it down at 1:00 am, annoyed I was too tired to finish it. I generally don’t read much popular fiction, because I’m a recovering snob. Twilight is proof enough for me that viral is not synonymous with worthwhile. So I’ve been skeptical of The Hunger Games. I also get scared about as easily as an eight-year-old. I’m serious. I hide my eyes during violent movie-scenes so that I don’t have nightmares. So when I heard this book was about children fighting to the death, I figured I should stay away.

But at some point it just becomes ridiculous to resist. If virtually everyone has read it and likes it, there has to be a reason. So when my consistently tasteful and discerning (despite her unfortunate fling with the aforementioned Twilight saga) roommate was up half the night engrossed in Games, I figured I should see what I was missing out on. I finished book one Saturday afternoon, and I absolutely see why everyone loves it.

High points

Suck-you-in-ability: The hackneyed “I couldn’t put it down” most certainly applies. Collins’ pacing is fantastic. Never lagging, but also not exhausting. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. This, I think, is why the series has received such widespread acclaim. The Hunger Games is, in a word, gripping.

Character development: Hats off to Collins for giving us interesting and multi-dimensional characters, including the many supporting characters. The other tributes could have easily been made into stock characters (which would have made their deaths easier to bear), but even the villainous Cato has more than one side.

Low points

All Katniss, All the time: I most definitely could have done without the first-person, present tense narration. I like Katniss and all, but she can be annoying, and an entire book is a long time to stay sympathetic. While this style gives the actual Games section some fascinating intensity, I think Collins limited the story unnecessarily. I’ve also hated the use of present-tense narration since I read the first page of A Farewell to Arms, but that’s just me.

Ponderable points

Genre: I’m fascinated by the juxtaposition of the book’s genre and its subject matter. The premise is jarring on its own, but even more so when it’s placed squarely in the realm of juvenile fiction. But this may be the very thing that saves the story from just being too heavy to read. An adult version would be unbearable, I think. (I use “adult” and “juvenile” solely as genre labels denoting certain conventions. This doesn’t mean adults shouldn’t be reading the books.)

Power vs poverty: Besides being a gripping story, The Hunger Games also stands as an interesting exploration of the often parasitic relationship between those who have and those who have not. Collins pushes this idea to an extreme, painting a picture of wealth and power gone mad. Government officials, obviously, are diabolical, but then there are all those Capitol residents. Silly, shallow, and extravagant, the contrast of their lifestyles with those in District 12 is disgusting. But they’re humanized, and some are quite lovable. Quite the complex situation.

All around, The Hunger Games is a good read – not a literary masterpiece or anything, but I’m glad I finally acquiesced. I’m three chapters into Catching Fire, so I’ll keep you posted ….