Book Review: Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

[deirdrej]

I’ll tell the truth; at first, I couldn’t read this book. I got my reserved copy, dove into it right away, and became so immersed in Katniss Everdean’s life, and the problems facing her, that I just couldn’t go on. The battles, the struggles, the heartbreak in the book merged with current news reports in my mind, and the whole world seemed to go grey and hopeless. I had to stop, and go outside to breathe.

But that was yesterday. Today I finished the book, and I can tell you that it is brilliant! Yes, it’s hard to read -- even horrific -- in places. But Suzanne Collins has done amazing things in this novel.

I’d like to keep this review spoiler free, so I won’t go into huge amounts of detail. Instead, I’m going to list, as briefly as I can, what I think makes this book so awesome. Here goes!

1. A Fantastic Plot. And by fantastic I don’t mean far-fetched or unbelievable. A ton happens, but it’s logical -- even inexorable. I particularly loved two things.
   1. The echo of the beginning of the book at the end.
   2. The echoes of the beginning of the trilogy at the end.
      I don’t think I can say too much more without giving a lot away. But the whole trilogy is a meditation on the cycle of violence, revenge, more violence, etc. And when foreign elements, like selfless love and sacrifice, enter into this mix, what effect do they have? (Hint: it’s pretty amazing, but it might not be what you expect. But maybe you’re smarter than I am )
2. Great Characters. I love Katniss, I love her family -- I’ve been team Peeta for ages, I’ve seen lots to admire in Gale, and I’ve even enjoyed Haymitch and the other subsidiary characters. They all seem complex and believable. In this book, I got new insights, not just into Katniss, but into almost all of the characters. Several people ended up really surprising me -- but, on reflection, everything that every character did was “true to form.”
3. Oh! Speaking of characters....“They call him Buttercup, poor little Buttercup, though he will never know why....” (sing along, if you want to ;-D). YAY Buttercup! You Rock!!
4. Linguistics! OK, this is just a small thing, but it's cool. The origin of the name “Panem,” is spelled out -- as part of the plot.
5. After those two minor delights, here’s another major one. The book is tragic in many ways, but it works like a classical tragedy. It provides catharsis, and ultimately, hope. Love is not in vain, and no life well-lived is wasted.

In sum: I was caught by the book, and then I had to fight my way into it, but finally, I loved it! Go out and read it, everyone! Read the whole trilogy, it will be well worth your while.

Since I love music, I’ll also say that I loved the music in this book. I know that some of my friends and relatives also make up melodies for the songs they read about. I made one up for a song in this book. If you’d like to listen, it’s here: