The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I haven’t been in this much of a pickle over a book since … actually, I can’t bring back a comparison. There were so many aspects about The Hunger Games that had me annoyed (the present tense and the bare bone descriptions being top of the totem pole), but I read the book at a feverish pace that has left me (and my eyes) exhausted.

Doesn’t that simple fact state that I liked the book? Yes. Yes it does. I liked it. I liked Katniss and Peeta (to be honest, I’m in love with Peeta). I’m greatly fond of Haymitch even with his troubles. The plot line is a killer–no pun intended. It is powerful. Disturbing. And most certainly worth telling. It’s the story line that sets it apart … and helps me to ignore the flaws.

Writing is subjective. There are many forms and styles and one is not better than the other. However, I do think there is a reason why most fiction is composed in past tense. It flows. It’s natural. It’s what we’re used to. Certainly using present tense made a statement. But–in my opinion–not one that helps it. The tense took me out of the story far too many times. At a point, I just ignored the ‘I say’ ‘he replies’ dialogue tags and tried to not let it bug me. I got used to it. But I still don’t approve of it.

The other big aspect of The Hunger Games that kept me scratching my head was how simplistic the writing was. There are virtually no visual descriptions. No painting. No sculpting. No time spent on trying to give the reader a full, fleshed feeling of this terrifying world. And President Snow? I kept thinking that there should be some monster behind all of this. After all, the country must be ruled by someone and the moment that he appears I get nothing. Eye color? Hair? Expression? It’s as if he was a last minute inclusion. As if right before it went to the presses, he got scribbled in. The book feels like there are just enough descriptions to move the story along.

What’s frustrating me about The Hunger Games is that I liked it. A lot. This book is good. It’s actually more than good. But I could see so much more potential hidden between its lines. This book–I suppose I should say, this series; I’ve only read the first one–could have been a staggering, electrifying example of corrupt government/dystopia for years to come. I wonder if at a point, the writing was chosen to be watered down to keep it from being as darkly depressing as it easily could have been … to keep it skimming across a deep ocean of hurt and anger and injustice. But if it could have dived below the surface … if it could have gained plump flesh around its frame … if this horrifying world instead of just the one view of a confused yet courageous young girl had been explored, then I have no doubt that this book would have become a classic for ages.