By some form of minor miracle I have managed to avoid most information about The Hunger Games.
I was aware of the basic premise inasmuch as there is a group of teenagers forced to fight until only one remains.
I was also aware that the main character is called Katniss, which I know thanks to a quote from an interview with Jennifer Lawrence in which she was asked how she and Katniss were similar, to which she replied "We look alike". I had also seen the photos so I knew that she sports a bow and arrows.
Beyond that I was surprisingly uninformed about the whole thing, which led me to think that it was probably as good a time as any to read the books before that changed. I tend to take the view that it's better to read books before watching the film version. I don't know if that's really true.
So I decided to sit down and read the first book. Overall I liked the way it was paced. There was a nice flow through the events without feeling rushed to get to the Games themselves, but also once in the games things didn't feel too rushed to get to a winner. One thing that I didn't get was the fact that the book was split into three parts for no apparent reason, since the action was continuous between each and didn't particularly mark a specific shift in events. Not an issue, just a minor thing I didn't understand the point of.
Reading the first part of it I found myself thinking I was reading a satire. The reality TV elements felt like a direct attack on such events today and the opulent luxury and dubious morality of the residents of the Capitol definitely feels pretty close to home. The characters who prepare Katniss for her appearances are a window into the lives of those in the Capitol, pre-occupied with themselves and living in the lap of luxury. It's a slightly odd mixture of feelings that Katniss seems to have for them - on the one hand she actually quite likes them, they're not bad people, but at times she almost seems to pity them.
One thing which I couldn't shake was the Battle Royale comparison, but I think that's to be expected with the similar themes. I'll admit to only ever having seen the film, not having read the book, but the premise of fighting to the last teenager standing is sufficiently similar to bring it to mind. I also found myself in some of the training sections leading up to the Games imagining the characters wearing the jumpsuits from The Running Man. I suppose that'll be because there are some similar themes being explored in terms of how it's all presented to the viewing public.
One thing I found myself convinced of from the outset was that Peeta meant what he said about being in love with Katniss, so every time she was doubting it I never was. I also think the way her feelings for him are portrayed is well done, the history, the bread from when they were kids. You find yourself wondering if she may actually fall for him in the end. After all, she was never really in love with Gale - or was she?
One thing which I found stood out to me as I was reading it was the fact that the whole book is from one point of view. Many narratives I read follow multiple characters and their stories mix together to give you an overall insight into the story as seen from various standpoints. The thing I found interesting about the way it was written was the occasional references made by Katniss to the viewing public, her family or Haymitch. She was imagining what they might be thinking about what was going on in the arena. Of course she could be wrong, but it allowed me to visualise people sitting down to watch the show, or watching the evening highlights or frequenting the betting shops to wager on who will be next to die. It's actually surprising how much of a mental image I managed to get of what was going on outside of the arena without ever actually leaving it.
Another point I considered was the use of 13 districts. It may be that it doesn't really matter in the rest of the story, but I found myself wondering whether there were 13 districts so that unlucky number District 13 could be the one which was destroyed 74 years before. Although my history of the United States is limited I also found myself wondering if there was some sort of reference to the fact that there were 13 colonies which formed the original United States. The reason I wonder if that may be of note is that when the 13 colonies banded together they didn't control even half of North America, there were other colonies which weren't to join the union for years to come. The thought that makes me consider is could that be a deliberate hint? Are there other Districts which are not allied to the Capitol? Indeed, taking that thought one step further: was District 13 really destroyed or did it secede from Panem? I will of course find out when I read the other books, but it is fun to consider what may be going on in the wider world which we don't know anything about.
I was a little surprised when Rue died as soon as she did. I must confess that my mental image of her was Newt from Aliens, so I had some sort of crazy idea that there would be a scene later with Katniss defending her from someone and shouting 'Get away from her, you bitch!'. That was my mind going off at a tangent, rather than anything constructive, but that's just the way my brain works.
I wondered about the sponsors. In our environment sponsors are companies who pay lots of money to use your success to promote themselves. I found myself a little grey on what exactly was happening with the sponsorship in the arena. There was a section which implied that Haymitch was in a position to choose what the tributes were to get in the arena, yet when the bread came in Katniss recognised it as coming from District 11 who must have had to scrape together to afford it, so that implies it's not big corporate sponsors, but individuals all chipping in. I may have missed something, but I am not sure how that part is supposed to work. Maybe in the next book Katniss and Peeta will be acting as mentors for the next set of tributes, so perhaps when we see it from the other side it will all become clear. I will wait and see.
I also found myself pondering the term used for the candidates for the games, they are called tributes. The ceremony where they are chosen is called the reaping. In the context the Capitol are doing the reaping, while the districts are forced to hand over one of their most prized assets - their children. It's hard not to think of the Grim Reaper and associate the term with death, but that's probably intentional. I think the thing about the term tribute is that it implies a transfer of ownership. Once the tributes are handed over they belong to the Capitol, they are seen as possessions to do with as they see fit.
I also wasn't sure about the muttants in the arena that kill Cato, were they supposed to be the other contestants or just look like them?
Anyway, lots of thoughts and several things I am looking forward to finding out more about in the next books.
The ending was interesting, since it left a few things open, but at the same time I suppose it could have stood alone if no sequel was ever written.
So, I suppose the main thing is how much trouble is she in for defying the Capitol?
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