The Hunger Games.

docx 1/1
“The Hunger Games” is a dystopian novel written by Suzanne Collins, originally
published in September of 2008. The country created by the author is divided into 12
districts and Capitol – the capital, the capital being the wealthiest and the twelfth
district being the poorest. The main character is Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl
from District 12, providing for her mother and sister. The government works based on
authoritarian rule. Focusing on the wealthier districts leaves helpless people to die in
agony. Katniss works everyday hunting and fishing since the death of her father, who
took care of the family before. She is an excellent archer and with the help of her best
friend Gale, she manages to take care of her loved ones.
Even though survival is a daily struggle, Katniss finds her life to be quite peaceful, until
the day of the enrolment for the 74th Hunger Games. Hunger Games are a way to
remind society of the government’s power, and the consequences of any form of
rebellion against it. Each district is obligated to provide one woman and one man
between the ages of 12-18, to fight for their life in an arena, until one person is left.
The winner is showered with riches and dubbed the Victor.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Katniss’s sister Prim is chosen to take part in the
tournament. Katniss volunteers to enter instead. Fortunately, (or perhaps
unfortunately) after a lot of hardships and traumatic events she wins alongside her
district partner Peeta Mellark. Peeta, the other main character is also the person who
saved Katniss’s life back in their childhood times.
The instance of two Victors, while at first accepted by the government because of a
fake onscreen romance between the pair, is later considered a form of rebellion. This
leads to the loss of their invincibility and puts them in grave danger.
The tense action throughout the novel and not knowing what may come next kept me
up at night. Every situation was extensively described which allowed me to imagine
the represented world as if I was watching a movie in my mind. For me, the story was
truly addictive.
The book was always set to be a Trilogy, that’s why the first part ends very abruptly.
The story doesn’t end in one book which is a clever way to encourage the reader to
look forward to reading the next part. I, however, thought it was a distasteful marketing
strategy and I didn’t really appreciate the open ending that left me feeling uneasy. I
wanted to know everything and anything there was to the story.
While the structure of the book didn’t appeal to me at all, the plot was exciting and
easy to understand. Overall, I recommend the “Hunger Games” for anyone who likes
drama and fiction.
: