 "Photo: Laura Dildine")
Let the games begin.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is impossible to put down. In this stunning novel, Collins crafts a magnificent story set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic society, plagued by a powerful government and too little food.
In this story, there are twelve outlying districts still standing, the thirteenth district having been destroyed years ago. The Capitol is the government and the central city of this world, Panem. People who live in the Capitol were lucky enough to gain favor with the government, so they enjoy a rich and splendorous life.
The people who live in the twelve districts work constantly to support that lifestyle, and these people hardly receive the basics needed to survive in return for their hard labor. In order for the working families to get the food they need to survive, their children, between the ages of 12 and 18, are forced to put their names on a ballot in exchange for food. If their names are one of the two drawn in each district every year, they, one boy and one girl, will be forced to participate in the Capitol's "Hunger Games." A cruel, gladiator style game in which the children are trained in combat and survival, then thrown in an arena where only one can win, only one can live.
While the children fight, the government of Panem requires all of its citizens to watch the games on live TV. These "Hunger Games' are the Capitol's way of exercising its power, squashing the will of its people, and insuring everyone's cooperation.
The book follows the life of a sixteen year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen and her struggles to live, and survive, in this dangerous world. Katniss's name is not called to participate in the "Hunger Games," but her younger sister's name is called. In order to protect her, Katniss takes her place in the games.
From there, the story twists and turns at a thrilling pace. Collins has obviously mastered the technique of using the narrators lack of understanding and later revelations to make the story a roller coaster of uncertainty and danger. Katniss's character captivates, and the reader will be rooting for her as she tries to figure out who she is and what she must do in this world full of uncertain games, both in and out of the arena.
This book is a gem in the genre of young adult fiction, spending numerous weeks on bestseller lists and earning several awards. Katniss is a complex character, as genuinely human as she is fascinating in her own, unique way. Young adult readers will have little trouble relating to Katniss's struggles finding her place in the world (even if it is a different world than our own), finding her voice, and figuring out how she feels about boys. The post-apocalyptic world raises questions about our own world, which gives the story an eerie feeling of familiarity.
If you find yourself drawn into Katniss's world, make sure to catch its sequel, Catching Fire, and the third and final installment coming out Aug. 24, 2010.
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