by Suzanne Collins
p.2009
Warning: This review is ridden with spoilers so if you haven’t already read the books and have any intention at all of seeing how this trilogy progresses, I would suggest avoiding this review, because the best thing this trilogy has going for it is the element of surprise. I haven’t even bothered to spoiler blackbar it because they are littered throughout.
My review of book one in the trilogy can be read here (though it is really more of a comparison between book and movie).
The story picks up not very long after the end of the first
book, with Peeta and Katniss coming home anomalous double victors of the 74th
Hunger Games thanks to their trick on the Capitol. The ruse isn’t over with the
games, of course. The 17-year-olds have to keep up their faux relationship to
maintain the already flimsy excuse, for if they revealed the true nature of
their relationship, they would lose public favor, and it’s the only thing
keeping them and their families alive.
It quickly becomes obvious that the Capitol (led by
President Snow, who is often and unsubtly described as snakelike) isn’t buying
any of this shit and that they fully intend on ruining Katniss’s life, which
starts by disrupting her routines and cracking down on illegal activities in
District 12, escalates to physical attacks on anyone who helps her, and
culminates in shoehorning Katniss and Peeta back into the Games a second year
in a row. That’s right, the not-quite-lovebirds are heading back the arena.
I’ve stated already that Suzanne Collins’ ability to catch the reader off guard
is the best thing this trilogy has to offer but I’ll admit this is one thing I
was fully expecting. Still, it was devastating to see the inevitable set in
motion, to see our characters never catch a break.
The reason for this unprecedented move is spurred by
‘special occasion’; it is the 75th anniversary of the Games and as
such a ‘Quarter Quell’ has determined that only previous victors may compete.
I’m sure this had 99% of Panem breathing a big fucking sigh of relief—until
they realized they would have to watch their former idols and icons kill each
other off. I personally was happy to see this rule, not only because it got our
main duo back in action, but because it meant this year almost everyone
competing was an adult. The one thing that has always bothered me about the
premise of Collins’ trilogy is how much I have to suspend my disbelief that any
self-respecting adult would stand by and allow children to compete. If the Hunger Games trilogy were written for
adults and featured adults I would not have a hard time buying the premise at
all, but it is written for a younger set so I understand why the age range was
set in place. Seeing adults go in for the fight was sad—most especially the
mother of three and Mags, the elderly volunteer tribute—but somehow still less
sad than say a twelve-year-old who never had a chance at a proper life.
‘Children in peril’ is a natural if unoriginal plot device that works every
time because the need to protect an innocent child evokes something in almost
everyone.
Of course, no one deserves to die this way at all, and thank
goodness some sense finally came out as the rebel plotline was slowly
introduced and the Games thwarted for the second time in history.
It’s obvious that everything that transpires—from Katniss
and Peeta’s reentry to the crackdowns in the Districts and other setbacks—is a
direct result of the Capitol’s meddling. They know everything there is to know
and Katniss is left with very little power. As I understand it, this is one of
the chief complaints about Katniss as a hero—her lack of awareness that causes
her to be constantly manipulated. This is a valid complaint, but I can see a
few stylistic reasons for this.
For one, as the books are written solely in limited first
person perspective, we can only know what Katniss knows, and to know for
certain about external events would detract from the twists that Collins wanted
to keep the readers engaged.
Secondly, Katniss is a role model of sorts for young
readers, and this is both good and bad. Bad, obviously, because she is not an
active controller of her fate and lets things happen to her, but good too
because she presents as a confused, hapless youth doing the best she can. Again
and again she protests her status symbol, maintaining that she doesn’t want to
be a heroine, that she doesn’t know how and can’t see what she’s doing to make
herself seem so special, and this is a feeling that many teens and young adults
can relate to—that feeling that you’ve been immersed in something beyond your
control and don’t belong. How many of us can say we'd react any better if placed in her situation? For better or worse, Katniss is an inherently relatable character.
I can’t say for certain whether this will turn out for the
best, not until I’ve read the final installment in this trilogy, but this is a
train of thought worth putting out there in the meantime, something to consider
going forward. Perhaps I will be back here in a few days raging; we'll see...
My feelings about Katniss haven’t changed much from book
one—I don’t loathe her, but I don’t love her either. In spite of her initial
selflessness that got her into this mess—saving her sister—Katniss presents as
a very self-centered person, though less so than in book one, when she was
still afraid to let others in. Catching
Fire Katniss has a wider array of people in the net of her concerns: Gale,
Peeta, Haymitch, Madge, Cinna, to name a few. And she’s growing softer, however
reluctantly.
Peeta I still have a special fondness for, the poor
friend-zoned thing. It was less awkward than in the first book (though I have
every expectation that the movie will ruin this as it did last year), but still
painful to sit through. I tend to have a soft spot for the ‘nice guy’
archetype, and I like that—even if he doesn’t know it—he’s finding a place as a
leader who is good with words and people, even if the list of people who care
about him is a lot shorter. He is stalwart and possesses a surprising strength—I
actually guffawed at his ‘love child’ bomb dropping in the interview and I
don’t look forward to what befalls him in book three, but if he comes out of
it, he’ll be even stronger. I just hope he finds someone to care about him the
way everyone loves Katniss, because on the whole he’s a lot more likeable.
Finnick Odair is the newcomer and written to be every bit as
likeable as he is made out to be in the Capitol, where he carries Golden Boy
status among the victors. I was thrilled to see the Games thwarted because he
was a shoe-in for tragic death scene if things progressed the way they did in
book one. I know he grew up in what is essentially America, but I’ll be damned
if I had a hard time reading Finnick’s lines in anything but a Scottish brogue.
I mean, his name is Finnick Odair for
chrissake. If he doesn’t present with some sort of European accent in the film they’ve
made a huge mistake.
Mags was definitely written to be a fan favorite and, if her
age is any indication, a top contender for the sacrificial death pool. True to
feisty form though, Mags’ death—while tragic—still evoked a smile from me when
she kissed the Adonis-like Finnick full on the lips. Because, let’s face it, if
I were going to my certain death, I’d probably lay some sugar on the hottest
tribute that ever lived too. Might as well.
Other characters were a disappointment. Gale does a bit
more, but most of it’s brooding and stonewalling Katniss. Katniss and Prim’s relationship is barely
touched, which is a shame since it is that closeness that spurred events in the
first place. Katniss never bothers to mend her relationship with her mother,
who doesn’t even have a name. Cinna is just there to chew the scenery and
dispense hugs. Haymitch is back to drinking and rubbing off on a traumatized
Katniss. But all of this seems to be setting the stage for what’s to come. I
don’t expect to see all of this resolved, but I’m most interested in Haymitch
and the rebels, led (somewhat surprisingly) by the new Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee
(about to be played by the brilliant Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the new movie,
so here’s to hoping the movie isn’t all bad!)
Oh, and I totally called District 13 right from the first
time it was mentioned, and I hope everyone else did too. Collins is in top form
when she’s setting the scene for later events. Everything alluded to early in
the book comes back to be of consequence later on. Foreshadow and illusion are
definitely the tricks of her trade here, and it all lends itself to a story you
don’t want to put down for any distraction.
... And speaking of, I’ve got to go pick up Mockingjay now, as it’s been mocking me
for the last three days.
No comments:
Post a Comment