Review: The Hunger Games Was One of the Only Good Dystopian Novels (Spoilers)

Even though I’ve talked about quite a few books on this blog, one of the series I haven’t talked much about is the dystopian series that really kicked the genre into full gear in the 2010s and that was The Hunger Games. Though I’ve talked about the prequel book that came out in 2020 and the film adaptation of that book, I have been late in addressing the original series, so here’s my review of it.

#1: The world

In the first book, a good chunk of time is spent learning about the world of Panem through Katniss Everdeen’s eyes. Does that mean that we learn about the whole world in detail? No. We only learn about what is necessary to the plot of the first book, such as the capitol, the abbreviated history of Panem and the games, and what life is like for the coal miners and their families in District 12. It is only later in the first book during training and the games themselves that we get to learn a bit more about the other districts and what life is like there through supporting characters like Rue. This pattern continues on into Books 2 and 3 (Catching Fire and Mockingjay), as Katniss and Peeta team up with more people from the different districts and eventually get to explore the other districts in the war that ensues.

While that only gives us a shallow glimpse into what could be a much broader history and still leaves the world open to more worldbuilding, I think it works for the story very well since it was from a first person P.O.V. It makes sense that Katniss has a limited knowledge of the world outside of District 12 and would have to learn as she goes. On top of that, from what we get to see of the world, it was clear that Suzanne Collins though a lot about what Panem would be like. The way the world is constructed takes from a lot of real-world problems that people outside of 1^st-world Western countries often face. Contrast this with the crappy world building of other dystopian novels that also came out around the 2010s and you can see why The Hunger Games has remained so popular.

#2: The Love Triangle

Unlike other YA dystopian novels, the love triangle in The Hunger Games was actually healthier and more bearable than most, however, I would say it was still kinda abusive in the fact that it seems kinda like a one-sided relationship.

The love triangle in The Hunger Games is between Katniss and Gale, her childhood friend who helps her, is masculine, and helps provide for her family; and Katniss and Peeta, the artistically-inclined baker who just hides behind Katniss for the entire series and just feels incredibly clingy. The only reason why Peeta and Katniss end up together is because they were in the same situation during the games and needed to be together then so they could stay alive. Though this is a good story and set up for a love triangle, the problem is how Peeta just kinda forces Katniss into a relationship with him after the Games are over through his clinginess. Yes, they have somewhat of a spark in the second book, but his reliance on her seems to cut her off from others to some extent and this is where I would say that the relationship is very co-dependent in an unhealthy way.

Sure, you could argue that she loves him because he understands what she went through, but that raises a whole other question about: is that something that you would solely want to build a relationship on? Yes, understanding of experiences is a good thing to have in a relationship, but there are other things that go into it.

#3: Plot twists

The plot twists in The Hunger Games are really good and actually serve to advance the story instead of just being there for shock value. The other tributes being involved in the plot to overthrow the government was something that – unless you’ve seen the movie before reading the book – you didn’t see coming, especially as they seemed to be trying to figure out who to kill in their group next. The plot twist at the end of the series of President Coin basically trying to become the next Snow was also something that threw you off and it served to teach a greater message that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Coin was just as power hungry as Snow was which made her just as corrupt. It was only after she died that the presidency was handed off to someone who didn’t desire that type of power but was willing to take it for the greater good that there was any social change in Panem. This is a message that, just like with the rest of the series, isn’t seen very often in many dystopian novels.

Until next time,

M.J.