Books 2014 - The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

[byslantedlight]

Little did I know when I bought Hunger Games because it was in a supermarket offer and I was just wanting to buy books but couldn't see anything I fancied except the book I originally chose, that I'd also buy the next two books in the trilogy, because I'd actually quite like it. It doesn't seem fair to be surprised, but I must admit I thought it'd be more in the Twilight realm of soppiness, with a heroine who was a bit too good to be true (and yet heartbreakingly flawed in some little way, for the sake of it), and it really wasn't like that at all.

The books tell the story of Katniss Everdeen who ends up "playing" in the Hunger Games, one of the post-apocalyptic way of keeping the people of Panem (the USA, really - or what's left of it) in the Capitol's strict control. The apocalypse was a long time ago, and we don't hear much about it - there's a completely new world now, where the 12 Districts provide for the Capitol, most of them starving and beaten so that the people in the Capitol can wear the wildest sparkling fashions imaginable, and take pills that make them vomit, so that they can keep eating the delicious food that is abundant. Every year two children between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected from each district when their names are effectively pulled from a hat - the reaping. They become pampered and prettified tributes on their way to the Arena, where they will be expected to fight until the death of every child but one of them. Okay, below this - watch out for spoilers if you think you might read/watch it.

Katniss, as befits a hero, outsmarts this, and there are two victors from her district. Or does she...? As the books go on it becomes clear that actually she's little more than a pawn who was mostly manipulated into everything that she did in the games, and this continues afterwards. She does have some guts and gumption about her - she was the one who kept their family together when her father was killed in a mine accident, she volunteered to take the place of her little sister, she looked after Rue and Peeta and Gale. She's not a bad person, I was in her head and heart deeply enough to know what was going on when she made her decisions and so on, and who doesn't love a girl who's good with a bow? But...

But after a while it became clear that not only was Katniss pretty much just reacting to everything that happened to her, but that sometimes she was not reacting and was then forced into the next part of the adventure. Sometimes she makes choices that are not the heroic choices - and then usually in that case the decision is taken out of her hands as the world happens around her again, and she doesn't come off as actually unsympathetic. I kept waiting for her to do the one thing that would make her real - or at least a real hero, because actually I think more people are indeed like her than aren't - but she never did. Well, maybe until the very end of the trilogy, when she finally, finally steps up - but even then her life just keeps droning on, and there's much angst about it, and again it's probably what would really happen to someone, but... it's a book! I wanted just that little bit more! More action on Katniss' part, and slightly less reaction. At least more decisiveness over what she felt was right and what was wrong, or some direction... Something that made me think a little bit more than the obvious.

She was supposed to be the hero of the revolution, the face of the mockingjay rebellion - but ultimately she let herself be just what they told her to be. We rarely if ever saw her actually thinking for herself, she was just what she looked like - the girl on camera. Because - oh yes - this entire thing, first the hunger games themselves, then the quell, then even the rebellion, are being filmed. Katniss is made up and dressed up and beautified - in fact her prep team are some of the main characters in the story. And although she objects to this on one level, she ends up coming over as just oh-so-modest, because in fact she goes along with it every step of the way.

She volunteered to take part in the hunger games in place of her sister, when the story opens - that's how much, we discover, she loves her. But we very rarely - if ever - see the two of them interacting, so we never quite feel it, it's idealised. Gale is her best friend and soulmate - until Katniss is thrown into the games with another boy instead, who she ends up pretending to be in love with so that they can both survive. Peeta really is a good person, a hero - until he's broken at the end, and seems to become a villain. And then Gale is effectively turned into something of a villain too, and the various other friends and acquaintances that Katniss has made fall - usually in some grisly but often at least mildly heroic way, and occasionally due to villainy - by the wayside.

At the end we're left with Katniss, who finally managed one heroic act, and a few other surviving characters, all still managing to keep going, until there is a feeling of hope at the very end that life itself goes on and does get better. But in the meantime there's much seriously hard going, torture and pain and punishment. Much betrayal. (It really is like real life...) I like that none of it was prettied up, that people who were in danger didn't always make it through, and that the ones who did, didn't come through unscathed. The alcoholic did not miraculously reform, the heroes are covered in scars and nightmares, but spring always comes. I'm just... left wanting a little bit more. I wanted Katniss to make slightly better decisions for slightly better reasons, because I ended up thinking that her final act of heroism was almost accidental. She did have to work it out, and she did have to have the guts to do it, but she had to be broken and broken and broken in order to get that far, and I didn't find that particularly inspiring or even thought-provoking.

I've got the first dvd on my shelf, and I rather think that'll go in my player tonight - it'll be interesting to see how Katniss comes over there, because it can't possibly be the way she comes over in the books... well, to me, anyway... *g* At one point, in fact, I started thinking that I could see exactly how the books would have been chosen for a film - they're great Hollywood material. They try to be more than that, I think, I'm just not convinced at all that they made it. Anything that gets kids (and any of us!) reading is usually a good thing - but there's a case to be made that we need to be careful what we call a hero.

Oh, and the Bechdel test! I was sure, from hearing Katniss being trumped as finally a girl with guts and a movie character that girls could aspire to!, that it would pass - but I'm not entirely sure the books do, or at least not by much... Are there conversations between two female characters? Well... between Katniss and Rue, briefly. Between Katniss and Joannah, again briefly. Anyone else...? The story is mostly about Katniss in relation to the two boys in her life, her father as her favourite parent, in relation to her mentor, in relation to her dresser (male), erm... Okay, teenage girls are very aware of boys, but there's usually some thoughts about other girls in there too - not the same kind of thoughts necessarily, but girls do also notice girls. Kat does a bit, but her relationships with Rue and Prim and her mother and Joannah and Coin and all seem much less solid than the relationships she has with boys and men in the book. It's not at all a male-dominated book series, far from it, and the f-f conversations are not about men, but it barely scrapes the Bechdel test...

And finally - I'd originally thought I'd include these books in my Once Upon A Time challenge, but they're definitely more science fiction than fantasy, so I don't think they do fit really. Rats. Worth reading though, cos they're good and popcorn-y and more-ish, and they're apparently what the kids are talking about these days (were, probably, I'm late to everything... *g*). I just need to figure out exactly why the kids love them so much... so I shall watch the movie. *g*

If anyone else has read the books I'd love to know what you thought of them... what'd I miss? *g*

Comments

[this-other-life.livejournal.com]

I read them a while ago and although I quite enjoyed them at the time, I doubt I'd read them again. I was very conscious of them deliberately dragging out the suspense of which boy Katness would end up with and the resolution with Gale felt quite contrived. I watched the first film out of curiosity but didn't like it that much. As always with these things the film didn't have the depth of the book and some of the bits I was particularly watching for felt glossed over, although the effects were good.
In some ways the most interesting part was the way the Games were used to take the mickey out of societies obsession with reality shows; feting and hyping the contestants beforehand and then, whenever the action slowed down some or became a bit safe, the way another element of danger was introduced so keep the audiences attention.

I've been enjoying your entries and book recommendations and, if I may, I have one for you. Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. It's a terrifying story, very atmospheric and also very evocative of the time period and its mores.

I think it might be to your liking.

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

I have one for you. Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. It's a terrifying story, very atmospheric and also very evocative of the time period and its mores.

Seconded! Liked it very much, especially the 1930s explorers of the frozen north theme. And very creepy!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Checked out, ordered, eagerly awaited! It does sound good. (I am so weak when it comes to buying books... I was going to be so good too, when I got back... but they look pretty on my shelf... okay, the top of my wardrobe... *g*)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I couldn't believe she resolved Gale like that - by not resolving him! I mean - in one sense it's quite true to life, and I kind of respect that, but on the other hand... no real resolution!

I've watched the film now, and I agree with you about that - I was hoping for more, to be honest. And Katniss didn't grab me at all - I thought she was supposed to be all spunky and strong and role-model-y... though I suppose in that way she was rather true to the vibe in the books - or lack of vibe... The reality show thing was very to the point - it's not the first time it's been done by any means, but maybe the first time for an audience who actually has grown up soaked in them... I wonder if that might help explain the surprise attachment to HG, that whereas to us it's science fiction (okay, I'm entirely assuming that you're not 18 or so...), to kids today it's only a slight stretch of reality in their bones...

Glad you're liking the recs - I must admit I sort of presumed I'd be writing them for myself, so it's nice to hear other people read them! And yes please, do rec any time you like! I went to look up Dark Matter, got hooked on the idea, submitted an order - thanks for that! It does indeed sound like something I might like! *g*

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, The Hunger Games. Not read it but have watched the first two films. P's read them all and was very enamoured of the series. I found the films quite compelling. I'm not a huge dystopian novel fan I have to say but the films really held my attention. The one thing weak spot for me was Katniss. I don't know whether it was the girl playing her or what but I felt no connection to her, almost like she was sleep walking through the films. It could be she's like that in the books, I don't know. And yes, the kids are all loving the books and movies. I told you about my grand-daughter and her friends, well as well as Dr. Who and Sherlock, they all like The Hunger Games.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I rather like dystopian fiction (though not to the extent that I've caught up with the current craze), but maybe that's why these came so close to doing it for me, but then just didn't quite. I want the more that I can see lurking in the wings, not quite getting there... I did enjoy them, and I did go straight out and buy the second and third when I'd finished the first, but although it kept me reading it just never... quite... did what I needed. Actually you may have nailed one of the issues when you say that you didn't feel a connection to Katniss - she is rather like that in the books too, all reaction rather than doing anything off her own bat, and sort of going along with things until something forces her not to - but I never had the feeling that actually, left to herself, she would have made any choice at all, ever... I remember you saying that P liked the books - what did he think of Katniss, has he said?

I wonder if one reason kids love the books is that they've grown up surrounded right down to the bone with reality tv shows. I mean there were always one or two, when I was growing up (we had "Young Talent Time" in Australia, and even that's a strong part of my childhood) but now they're just saturated with them. Maybe they just relate to the idea more than we ever did - that it could happen to any of them...

[alicambs.livejournal.com]

Daughter loves the books and hubby and I have watched both the films and I've read the first two books. TBH I wasn't that excited by either the books or the films and I was somewhat underwhelmed by the Katniss of the films - particularly as people have been all over the actress for her playing of Katniss. As you said, Katniss reacts to thing constantly she does not lead. She is a hero by happen-stance, an inability to dissemble and a stubborn dislike of authority. I think I preferred the books to the films, the second film repeated too much of the first film. I also think I've read far too much SF because none of this is new or terribly inventive.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I watched the film yesterday, and sadly I was quite underwhelmed by Katniss too - I presumed the actress would play her as so much more feisty than the book version, but she didn't at all! And I didn't feel any connection to her and the other characters... it didn't help that they completely messed around Peeta's storyline, and his character in film almost came over as scheming and hard-hearted, to me... and with so much missing, none of the motivations made sense any more. They even took out one of the few Bechdel passes the books had - Katniss being friends with the mayor's daughter (Madge?). I think I must have read too much sci fi/dystopian too... though maybe it resonates more with kids today because they've grown up so saturated with reality tv shows in a way that we never were? I mean, it was always a bit sci-fi for us, whereas to kids now it's practically real and perhaps ten minutes away...

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the book, but I've seen the first movie. It was enjoyable, but nothing special. Certainly not the next Lawrence of Arabia. But from everything I'd heard, and your review pretty much bears it out, the books are not well thought out and rather light.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I watched the film last night, and didn't find it as good as I'd hoped. Its been so long since I've had books/movie in front of me, that I forgot the correct order was film-first then books, because then you can enjoy the film on its own merits, and have the second joy of all the additional information in the books... Maybe not very well thought out is right - they're so almost a great series. But maybe if they had been a bit more thought out they wouldn't have had so much popular appeal - heaven forbid people actually should have to think... *sighs*