So I was reading The Hunger Games, and I couldn't stop, so I have now finished it (it's so late! Why do I keep staying up this late?? Oh well...) and I have rediscovered how GOOD it is. I mean, I'm not a thriller/violence type person, so that's not why I like it so much, but there are other reasons.
There are a few specific areas where Ms. Collins excels fantastically. The first one I noticed was her ambiguous characters. She leaves you unsure about the true natures of Haymitch, Katniss's stylists (exclusing Cinna) and Effie, making you wonder if you really like them or not. This might seem like a small thing, but it's an important skill for a writer to have, because it makes the story seem much more real; not everyone in real life is black-and-white, personality-wise. If a book has characters who seem like people you might meet in real life, it gives the reader an invaluable connection to the story. It makes it relatable. Second, her ability to conjure up a highly detailed and very believable atmosphere. Reading it, I keenly felt the plight of the District Twelve citizens, their fear of and hatred for the Capitol; the gut-twisting nervousness of Katniss upon her journey towards the Hunger Games arena; and yes, the fear, pain, and hunger of the Games themselves. It's been a while since the emotions in a book have clicked with me this strongly. Thirdly, her action scenes. It isn't unusual that I should see the events in a book playing out like a film in my head, but I saw this "film" much more clearly than I normally do. Suzanne Collins is truly a master. Overall, it's just a really good book, a blend of heated emotions and heart-pounding action from start to finish. (And, unsurprisingly, knowing all this makes me even angrier that my mum tried to prevent me from reading it.) I'm going to have to figure out some way to get the next two, since I most likely won't be allowed to get them from the library. (Elodie? Want to help out? :p) (And in case anyone was wondering- I had read this book, and the second one, before, but it's been a while and I tend to reread books anyway. The first time I read them, I was a bit distressed by the violence, which is why I still haven't read the third. I wanted to reread them, however, because I noticed a lot of things I liked about them before. I figured that now I know what the violence levels are like, it wouldn't bother me so much and I would be able to focus more on the other themes in the story. And I was right.)
