The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Set in the brutal, and thankfully fictional, nation of Panem, ‘The Hunger Games’ brings a totally new layer to your classic romance story. Forget boy-meets-girl… this is more boy-and-girl-get-thrown-into-a-fight-to-the-death-in-which-only-one-of-them-can-possibly-survive. Regardless of the underlying romantic elements, make no mistake in thinking that this book is just for girls, as is the major audience for most other novels of that genre. This book is a must-read for all; a story that anyone can enjoy.

Being widely different from most other books on the market today for teens, the ‘Hunger Games’ has gotten a fair amount of bad press, mainly being described as very bloody and horrifying – apparently this being simply too much for quite a few book reviewers. But for the people with this opinion, those who read the book and only see people mindlessly slaughtering other people, the real question that springs to mind is whether they have actually read the book at all. Yes, I will admit that through the course of the book twenty-two people are killed in the savage environment of the arena, but, being a person who is greatly squeamish, I can safely say that, really, only one of the deaths is what could be described as slightly grotesque. And that is at the very end of the novel.

But of course, the main complaints are not about the detail in which these deaths are described (which actually, is not overly detailed anyway) but is about the fact that there are deaths at all. What these people don’t see, possibly, is the true meanings of the book. Through the whole novel, Collins clearly shows that, even though it seems like some people’s deaths are inconsequential, every human life – be that of friend or enemy – is a big deal. A lesson that, to me, is vitally important for much of today’s teenage population to understand, especially with the amount of violent video games on the market, in which faceless beings are shot down without thought or feeling. The ‘Hunger Games’ is not about death, or blood, or merciless slaughter, it shows that every life should be valued, and also that feeling, whether it be love or respect, or anything else, is greatly needed, otherwise we will turn into veritable monsters.

Although the ‘Hunger Games’ is perhaps a little darker in true meaning than it perhaps would first seem, this does not mean that it cannot be enjoyed by a wide variety of people: that is the true genius of Collins’ writing. When you get down to it’s roots, the ‘Hunger Games’ is a love story like no other, with humour interspersed through the tragedy, lightening our minds and compelling us to read on.