Book Review: 'The Hunger Games'

Do you know where I get my book recommendations? Well, one place is from my sister Rachel, who is reading 365 books this year; she's a pretty good source. I have also posted a request on Facebook, asking for recommendations. My Facebook friends have not led me astray; first they led me to read Dune, a book I tried to read as a teenager but never finished. Most recently they turned me onto The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.


What intrigued me the most about the recommendation was the diverse group who recommended it. This group included my neighbor who's a stay-at-home mom who used to work in finance, and a former journalist colleague who's biggest claim to fame is that he's interviewed almost every great living rock guitarist. What could this fiction book offer that appealed to such a divergent group?


So I dove in and learned myself. The Hunger Games is easily one of the most compelling character books I've read in a long time, a compelling futuristic thriller that breaks no new ground in sci-fi/post-apocalyptic lore, but weaves a spell-binding tale with characters that quickly become real to the reader.


What worked. The best part about the book is the lead character, Katniss, and that the book is told in her first person voice. I always fear first person when I began reading a novel; I think it's a default mode for modern fictionalists, but I think it fails more often than it works. In this case, I can't imagine the story told in any other way.

The other key part for me was the world. Katniss lives in District 12 before she's thrown into the Capital's sadistic Hunger Games. The settings are few (which is a good thing), but feel real, particularly District 12 and the arena for the Hunger Games.

The other characters were also strong. The other key characters, Peeta and Haymitch, are beautifully done, filling in the rest of the story, perfect counterpoints to the headstrong lead.

What Didn't Work. Very little. The book is quite violent during the final act in the arena, and has very dark themes. But none of this really bothered me because of the way it was handled and how it played into the story.

Who Would Like It. Anyone who likes good, compelling, character-driven fiction. I've heard it described as a young-adult novel, but this is way too narrow of a definition; I think it's appeal is much broader than that. It also is good for all you post-apocalyptic fans (like me).

Who Wouldn't Like It. As I mentioned above, the final act is quite violent, and many of the themes are quite dark. Personally I don't think it's over the top (especially since the violence is in no way glorified, just the opposite), but it could offend some people's sensibilities. And though it called a young adult novel, I would urge parents to read it first or with their younger teens or tweens to discuss the deeper themes.

Parting Thoughts. As you might have noticed, I loved this book. It wasn't a page-turner in the style of Harry Potter, or my favorite sci-fi book of all-time Ender's Game, but it was awesomely compelling, character-driven, action-packed drama. And you can quote me on that.

Thank you Facebook friends.