The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

 

The Bookaholics have requested a group outing to see the new film ‘The Hunger Games’ which comes out in March 2012. I thought I had better read the book first to check what I was letting myself in for.
The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem, which is divided into 12 districts. Each district is distinct from the others and has its own characteristics and laws. The country is overshadowed by the annual competition, The Hunger Games, which takes place in The Capitol, in which a girl and a boy are selected from each district to take part. Of the 24 competitors only one will emerge the winner – and the only survivor, as the object of The Games is to kill the other competitors.

The novel follows Katniss Everdeen a 16 year old from District 12, who volunteers to take the place of her younger sister Primrose who has been selected to take part. After the lavish ceremony where the participants are dressed up and paraded in front of the nation, they are thrown into the arena. Each year the challenges are different. Katniss is skilled at hunting, but will it be enough to save her? The whole event is compulsory for the nation to watch on TV and representatives of the participants compete for sponsorship – sponsors are allowed to send in gifts at certain points during the Games.

I found this book very gripping, a surreal play on the idea of reality TV. There is plenty of action and twists and turns as the Gamemakers can and do change the rules and conditions of the Games.  One of the twists is that Katniss is also encouraged to fake a romance with Peeta Mellark, the other representative from District 12. Peeta says he is in love with Katniss and their romance grips the nation; Katniss presumes Peeta is faking his feelings as she is, or is he playing a deadly game?

I was swept along by this book and particularly liked Katniss although I found the character of Peeta very annoying and was hoping he would die in the end!
My reading of the book convinced me that it would be a good film to go and see, although having recently completed ‘Blood Red Road’ I think that book was the better of the two and will stay with me for longer as I loved the way it was written. I am now reading the second book of the trilogy, ‘Catching Fire’ as it continues the story where the first left off.