Book Review - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


(technically this is a re-read, though I wasn't active on the site when I read this in 2010)

After recently seeing the Hunger Games movie, I had a strong inclination to plow through the series again. They are fast reads, even for me, and I knew that even with other books bouncing around being read that I could polish these off.

And I wanted to see if the movie was really missing the important details I was remembering, or if I was filling things in that the later books in the series actually contained. Turned out I was right; if you haven't read this book, then much of the movie isn't going to be that compelling. The characters will likely seem shallow, and the action difficult to understand. The backstory that gives the world of the Hunger Games such a rich tapestry in the books is sadly lacking in the movie, and there are several details in the book that I think were significant enough to be introduced.

Tessarae: This is never explained in the movie at all, but is a major factor in the book. Tessarae is a small allowance of extra grain and oil rations that can be signed up for by entering a name more often in the Hunger Games drawing. It is discussed in at least a half dozen places in the book, and becomes an important element in understanding the characters of Gale, Katniss, Madge, Peeta and others.

Madge: This small character, the mayor's daughter, who gifts the mockingjay pin to Katniss is eliminated completely from the movie. The contrast between their lives growing up and the fact that they became somewhat friends despite their different statuses is an imporant part of understanding Katniss, and may be why some people who only saw the movie thought her character fell a bit flat.

The Capitol: I wasn't wrong; the books clearly make out the people in the Capitol to be a bunch of freaks. And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. These people work hard to dehumanize themselves, partially in a well designed metaphor - to distinguish themselves from those in the districts and the games. In the movie, while there is some odd fashion and the strange hair color here and there, there is little sign of the surgical alteration in the books. This is even more profound when you consider that at the end of the games, Katniss is altered surgically to erase everything that was done to her in the arena, every scar buffed away, every sign of her delicate humanity and the precarious line she walked to survive erased, to hide from the viewing audiences the reality of what goes on.

Rue: I love Rue so much in the books, but the movie? While she is adorable and exactly as I pictured her, too much of the relationship between Katniss and Rue is eliminated or glossed over, as is all of the talk of District 11, how it works, and the history there.

Katniss' Father: Where are the tales of the Mockingjays? Where are the stories about his music, how his father almost wed Katniss' mother? This important part of Katniss' life and character development are again eliminated.

Mockingjay: Need I say more?

Overall, I was renewed in my memory that these are fantastic books, charming, well written, and excellent examples of YA literature that can appeal to all ages.



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