Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

ISBN: 9781407109084
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 2009
454 pgs



Set in the future there is a nation called Panem (once known as North America), its Capitol is surrounded by twelve different districts; all of them being controlled by Panem. The population in each district is ruled by a totalitarian government, and most of the times they are badly mistreated and are lived in very bad conditions but no one dared to oppose them.

Every year, the Capitol will call upon these twelve districts to nominate one boy and one girl (between the age of twelve and eighteen) for the Hunger Games event. The Capitol is nothing but a bunch of cruel people who wanted to show they have power so they created the Hunger Games as part of their entertainment (as a form of reality TV show). Now there is only one rule to this game, and it is to kill or be killed.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen has seen enough about life. She lost her father during a mine accident when she was twelve, and with the harsh condition she is living she has matured and learnt to be a brave young lady. She lives with her mother and younger sister, Prim, and she takes on the role of bringing food and ensuring safety to the family since her mother could no longer put the family together after her husband passed away. You can say Katniss is the survivor of any circumstances that thrown in her way; she is even prepared to fight at the Hunger Games if she is being nominated but call it a toss of fate, Prim is being nominated instead. Katniss wouldn't allow her younger sister to be sent to death so she took her place and represented District 12 for the game.

On the other hand, Peeta Mellark is the boy who represented District 12. He is the boy whom had once given some loaves of bread to Katniss years ago when she was about to give in to the temptation of stealing out of desperation. Katniss could not imagine him as a competitor, but then could she make herself trust him and work together with him in order to fight the others before they get killed? Or better still, could she work up the courage to kill her saviour?


"I don't care if we're rich. I just want you to come home. You will try, won't you? Really, really try?" asks Prim.

"Really, really try. I swear it," I say. And I know, because of Prim, I'll have to.

The Hunger Games is one book I would highly recommend to anyone because it is so brilliantly plotted and is so intense. This may seem to be a plot-driven story but I would have to say there is a mixture of character-driven scenes in it too (for example, the building of relationship between Katniss and Peeta, as well as Katniss' feelings towards one or two of her competitors for whom I would not name). This may sound silly but this book makes me think. Yes, it makes me think of how fragile one's life can be, and then there is the notion of blood is thicker than water, but the most horrific of all is, what if this would happen to us in the future?! After all, I can see no difference between this game and a war. Or perhaps I have think too much but still, this book is so good! I can not wait to devour the next installment, Catching Fire, which is scheduled to be out in September.

By the way, do check out the two pretty covers posted on Wondrous Reads. Jenny, the blog owner, has pictures of the fold-out UK cover (which is how my copy looks like). Which cover do you prefer?


Other blogs reviews:
Thoughts of Joy
(Let me know if I have missed yours.)
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