A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes
And when again they open, the sun will rise
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.
The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins
After reading that, I realized that I had cried harder while Katniss sang that song than I did when I thought Harry Potter was walking to his death. And all of this crying for a book that I was assigned to read in class. Sure, I loved reading, and read the entire contents of (most of) the assigned books... but never with such urgency.
I picked up "The Hunger Games" at midnight last night, and could not stop reading. I literally was not able to put the book down. During my seven hours of reading, it accompanied me to the bathroom, kitchen, living room and bed... where I literally spent all night sitting up, laying on my tummy, back and side to read.
The thing about this book, is that the author somehow managed to keep me reading with this urgent, tense feeling of uncertainty the entire time. What's that called? Oh yeah, SUSPENSE! Never before have I read with such vigor. If I get excited, I start to skim and scan and look for the good parts. But for this, I read every word, took in every emotion and analyzed every detail.
First, Katniss and Gale are in the woods, discussing the "reaping," and I find myself wanting to know more and more about her life... and wondering, when will her name get called? Then, she is announced as a "tribute" for District 12. I kept trying to dream up what I thought District 12 should look like and somehow the picture came across as a mix of the "Giver" setting with a few "modern" technologies... I was actually SURPRISED to hear Katniss talk about TV crews being at the reaping, because it's hard to imagine such a harsh place with modern ammentities. I wanted to know what the Capital would look like. So, I kept reading. I wanted to find out what was going on with the adults, were they for or against Peeta or Katniss? How does one become the thing that Effie is? How can she enjoy her job? And no wonder that old man is an alcoholic. Was Peeta really going to try and kill Katniss?
The thing is, is that by reading the first person narrative through Katniss's perspective -- knowing only what she knows -- the readers are forced to wonder what Peeta's true intentions are. It keeps you guessing. It keeps you going.
After they arrive at the Capital, I keep feverisly reading, wanting to know who will support Peeta and Katniss and who will bet on them. I wonder if Katniss will die. I keep reading. I get to the start of the games -- to that first death we see -- and though I am highly disturbed, I keep going. My stomach has been physically aching for at least an hour now, feeling for Katniss... imaging what it would be like to be hunted... to have to hunt humans... so I must keep reading. I am not one to go for the horror section or read stories with a lot of blood and gore in them, but the author manages to bring out feelings of HUGE unease while killing off character by character, and still, somehow keep me reading through all of it.
The fact that Suzanne Collins manages to weave in a love story is just beyond me. It is obvious that Katniss has a hard time processing feelings, but we all know that she has them because WE have them (I can guarentee no one that reads this can read it without putting themselves in Katniss' shoes, just for a moment) and we feel them, and we feel for her while we're reading. Katniss is, above everything, out to survive. Katniss wants to survive, but it's almost never for herself. First, it is for her sister and mother. Then, it is for a companion. Then, it is for Peeta, and hope of seeing her mother and sister back in dessolate District 12 -- a place that none of us from modern America would ever seek out -- District 12 is home for Katniss and Peeta, and after weeks of torture and death in this arena, hope for that dessolate land is the only thing that keeps them going.
I don't want to spoil the ending, or too many of the bits inbetween the beginning and end, but I do want to press upon the importance of the author's writing skills. By any other person, I fear I would have picked this book up and tossed it aside, but somehow Suzanne Collins only made me want more. I am, by the way, extremely excited to know that there is a second book out, and a third planned and will be picking up "Catching Fire" as soon as I can lay my hands on it.
I am looking forward to reading a book that's filled with characters I've grown to love. I cried for them, ached for them, rejoiced for them, all in the span of seven hours... and though this book is one of the best I've read, I'm not sure that I can ever go and re-read it. I'm hoping for news of a rebellion, not for more blood games. And I really hope that Katniss and Peeta never have to return to the arena to coach tributes again. It's just one of those books that is so haunting, that the feeling sticks with you long after you've turned the last page, and sends shivers down your spine every now and then afterwards, that you just don't need to read it a second time.
After the first read, you understand the chilling messages the book is sending. Unless you're writing a paper and need to refer to certain passages, there is no reason to re-visit this gem. Perhaps the day will come when the world starts to crumble around us, riots start and the people rise up against oppressive American government, then, reading this book would be a good reminder of what humanity is becomming and can become if the people remain ignorant.
By making 13 Districts, (though one is destroyed) Suzanne is doing something that I think is really clever. By making 13 specifically, she effectively IS reminding us of what humanity did do, of our own history and warning us to not repeat it. *Cough, Cough* Need I say... The Civil War, anyone? I don't think so. This book truly speaks for itself. And I believe that adults and young adults alike will enjoy reading it. I would never call this book, "delightful," or "a joy to read," but I did enjoy reading it. Words like "haunting," "disturbing," and "scary," pop into my mind... but I don't want mothers to sheild their children from reading this book, and I fear that many will, and have already.
I was looking up quotes, reviews, movie info, anything that I could to quench my thirst for knowledge of Suzanne's Panem and came across this quote from a Time book review:
“Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power...The Hunger Games and Catching Fire expose children to exactly the kind of violence we usually shield them from. But that just goes to show how much adults forget about what it's like to be a child. Kids are physical creatures, and they're not stupid. They know all about violence and power and raw emotions. What's really scary is when adults pretend that such things don't exist."
--Time Magazine
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