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Books on Tuesday

 It's hard to overstate the brilliance of "The Hunger Games." Start with the title--which is sinister and sadistic and able to do its job with just three words. Then the concept. We send children to war. We also entertain ourselves by watching "reality TV." Is it really difficult to imagine that the two perversions might blend together at some point in the near future?


Collins's protagonist, Katniss, has a raw deal even before "the Games." She has lost her father, and in response, her mother has become a non-functioning alcoholic. To feed the family, Katniss must hunt for wild animals. (I find myself thinking of Matt Saracen in "Friday NIght Lights," though I think Matt came *before* Katniss.) Although Katniss tends to act in a heroic way, the smart choices don't always come quickly to her. We see her struggle to "behave in a political way"--we hear her thoughts, and we understand that she often has to repress the urge to wave her middle finger (even when the urge is very, very foolish).

The other gripping character here is Haymitch--Katniss's mentor, who clearly has a complicated past. Haymitch has a brain, but he seems to be near-suicidal. Katniss can never tell whether her mentor is hatching plots or simply acting on auto-pilot--sometimes, she concludes (reasonably) that he is just AWOL.

I think Manohla Dargis is right that this novel is not well-served by its film adaptation. I generally do not hear people saying, "J-Law in THE HUNGER GAMES--a classic of cinema!" It would be fun to try again with an actual child in the main role. Saorsie Ronan was so good in "Atonement." There must be another little Saorsie out there.
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