Thinking About Books: The Hunger Games

It has been a long time since a book had such a hold on me as this one did. It has been far too long since I couldn't wait to get back to my book, and couldn't think about anything else while I was away, wondering what would happen next. Finishing it was like eating your favorite meal until you were completely satiated, only I'm glad you don't get stomach aches from books because there's a sequel!

I don't like to do plot summaries here because I figure you can find plenty of those on Amazon or other sites, and besides the important thing to me is how a book affected me, not what it's about. I'll be honest and admit I usually prefer to read fluffy books, ones where, even if there is gut-wrenching drama, it's more about the fate of a relationship, not the fate of the world, and all the important things get wrapped up tidily at the end. (This is not to say I don't like messy endings. But something has to be resolved by the last page or it leaves me feeling unbalanced.) I went through a spate of dystopian novels a while back and it soured me on them for a while. But it must have been long enough for me to recover, because even though The Hunger Games is set in a 1984-esque world where kids battle each other to the death, it wasn't a particularly depressing novel, which, now that I think about it, is the thing I hate most in a book, dystopian or not. There was plenty of fear and rage and sorrow and uncertainty, but never depression. The hero and narrator, Katniss, is not a revolutionary, angry at the government. She just wants to get back home to her little sister. And she never, ever gives in to despair, no matter what. She has no illusions about the corruption of her government, but her only goal throughout the book is simply to survive and make it back home (and maybe figure out who she's in love with). The change from a narrator trying to rebel against the evil government was refreshing. Obviously, not everyone living in a totalitarian regime can be ready to pit themselves against it just because it's the right thing to do. Some, most, just want to live their lives as best they can, and though it's clear that pretty soon Katniss is going to have to choose whether she wants to retain the status quo, or openly rebel (okay, okay, I've read the first three chapters of the sequel, but you could have seen it in the first), she is always going to be a reluctant hero, whether it's in the arena of the Hunger Games, or the political arena of her country.

Oh, and it's also been a long, long time since I read a book in first person that was executed this flawlessly. Usually you get a narrator that talks one way to the reader and another way in any actual dialogue, usually sounding more literary or polished in the narration. But Katniss never sounded like anybody but herself. There was also a seamless blend between explaining things, showing what she was thinking and feeling, flashbacks, etc. Often these are all slightly disjointed. A character might start to get bored-sounding or rote as they explain this obscure rule or piece of fictional history you'll need to know later. When they talk about their feelings instead of the action, they sound like a different person. Not our girl Katniss. Seamless. Flawless. But by no means a Mary Sue. Her skills were all believably obtained; no random abilities coming out of nowhere here. It's no wonder this book has been on our shelves nonstop. I have the next one on hold, but I'm 25th in line! I can't wait!

Avox: a = without, vox = voice (I figured it out! I'm so clever!)