Growing Up the Hard Way

Last week, a line of teen and ’tween girls (mostly) snaked around the stacks and shelves at Oblong Books in Millerton, NY, and up two sets of stairs to where Suzanne Collins, author of the hugely popular Hunger Games trilogy, was greeting fans and selling the third book in the series, “Mockingjay.â€

   Collins, who lives near Danbury, in Connecticut, came to Millerton only two days after the publication of the highly anticipated book (as I write, it’s Number 3 on the Amazon.com bestseller list) but was unavailable for interviews, though she greeted her young fans with great warmth that belied  the darkness of her books.

   Set in what’s left of North America after an environmental catastrophe, the country, now called Panem, is divided into 12 districts, based on what natural resources it can provide to the capitol, where the residents live in absurd wealth while people in the districts starve and struggle.

   Katniss Everdeen, the teenage heroine, comes from District 12, the coal mining district, and when Collins read an excerpt, she gave Katniss a soft Appalachian accent. In one of many uncomfortably realistic touches, Katniss’s father died in a mining accident, leaving her mother nearly catatonic and Katniss responsible for raising her younger sister, Prim.

   At the start of the first book, Prim is selected as District 12’s female entry into the Hunger Games, the annual competition that pits the districts against each other. Each district is compelled by the Capitol’s rulers to send two “tributes† ­—  one boy and one girl — into a sort of gladiatorial arena, where unseen gamemakers create horrific challenges like genetically engineered beasts, swarms of gigantic wasps, poison gas, and, worse,  what the children must fight off while attempting to kill each other and be the sole survivor.  Most gruesome and cynical of all, it’s conceived as a giant reality television contest, which everyone is forced to watch. The prize: the victor’s district gets enough to eat, at least until the next year’s games.  

   To save her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place, and is whisked from the grimy privations of District 12 into the glittery Capitol where the coal dust is washed away and she’s fattened up for the inevitable slaughter.

   Drawing equally on Greek mythology and 21st-century horrors, Collins spikes her tale with plenty of irony. The tributes are costumed and made up by stylists, scripted by handlers, and cameras follow their every move during the games.  The best competitors understand that their chances of winning depend on how the public perceives them on television, and play to the cameras. It’s part Orwell, part “Project Runway,†and part the war in Afghanistan.

   Katniss is one of the most interesting and appealing heroines in recent fiction for any age. And the dilemmas she gets caught up in as the games go on  are remarkable for their shades of ethical complexity. She has to play the game and go along with her handlers, or her family will suffer, and the choices she must make never have easy or obvious answers.  Angry, confused, reluctant, she gropes her way, never quite aware of her own power or symbolic importance to the nation watching her every move.

   In the first book, Katniss manages to subvert the rules of the games and spark the beginnings of a rebellion. In “Catching Fire,†she is punished by having to return to the arena again for another contest, only to discover that this time she has been made a tool of the rebels, who are as manipulative and power-hungry as the powers they are trying to overthrow.  “Mockingjay†plays out the aftermath of her discovery and her gradual acknowledgement of her own leadership.

   Collins writes with urgency and fire, and she pulls no punches. She’s willing to kill off anyone, even the most beloved of characters, if the story requires it.  Her vibrant  creations include Haymitch, once a victor of the games himself, now a drunk, who is forced to mentor Katniss and her co-tribute from District 12, Peeta.  Cinna, Katniss’ stylist, Effie, her handler, and many others are each drawn with careful attention to details. Only the two boys who compete for Katniss’ affection, Peeta and her old hunting buddy, Gale, are a bit generic. Both are kind, strong, brave and too proud to beg for her love.

   “The Hunger Games†trilogy may be written for, and marketed to, young readers, and it taps into teens’ anti-authoritarian and justice-seeking streaks. But there are plenty of rewards for adults, too, especially those of us looking for a strong heroine who is motivated by larger concerns than the acquisition of a pair of shoes, thin thighs, or even inner peace.

   By the end it’s clear, inner peace is one thing Katniss may never find, but her struggle has an even greater payoff.