Mockingjay: Suzanne Collins

Book: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Pages: 400
Age Range: 13 and up

Mockingjay is, of course, the long-awaited conclusion to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy (see my reviews of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire). This series has reached that point of media saturation where it becomes cool for reviewers to dismiss or criticize it (Twilight, anyone?). The movie rights have been acquired by Lionsgate. Mockingjay had something like a 1.2 million copy initial print run. The series has helped launch a tremendous wave of dystopian young adult literature. So ... it's hard to be objective about the book. But I'll share a few thoughts (and no spoilers).

Mockingjay is very dark. This is to be expected. The first Hunger Games book, after all, introduces a society that hosts an annual contest in which 24 teens fight to the death, until only one victor is standing. In Catching Fire, victor Katniss finds herself returned to the Hunger Games arena, even as she also becomes a pawn in a much larger game, a rebellion against the abusive capitol.

Mockingjay picks up shortly after the end of Catching Fire, with Katniss physically and emotionally damaged by the traumas that she's endured. While she's been reunited with her childhood friend Gale, her Hunger Games partner Peeta has been captured by the government. Katniss has become a symbol of the resistance (she is the Mockingjay of the title). However, she's too worn down to be much help, at first, and finds herself suspicious of the motives of some of the rebels, too. Katniss's personal struggle to understand her place, and her feelings for Gale and Peeta, plays out against the larger backdrop of the war between the Capitol and the rebels.

This is a book that portrays war in all of its ugliness. Collins touched on similar themes in her earlier Underland Chronicles series (last book reviewed here, with links to earlier reviews), but that book was aimed at a younger audience. Mockingjay depicts scenes of shocking violence, and acts of nearly unimaginable cruelty. This is not a book for those with weak stomachs. But it is compelling. And it casts a sharp, but utter non-preachy, light on the atrocities of war.

I found Katniss's physical and emotional weakness in parts of the book a bit trying at first, but I've concluded that it was brave of Collins to show all of Katniss's damage. She's far, far from a perfect heroine, and she knows it.

Personally, I was satisfied with the ending, and with the resolution of the Gale/Peeta/Katniss triangle (and that's all I'll say about that right now). I haven't read many other reviews, so I have no idea whether or not this is a general viewpoint. But I'll certainly continue to recommend this series to people. I think that Suzanne Collins has some very dark views on war and technology. But she's created a fascinating world in Panem, and a memorable, ultimately sympathetic character in warrior Katniss. Quite an achievement, I think.

Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: August 24, 2010
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher

Comments

[Sarah]

So happy to have your thoughts, Jen! I have been looking forward to them. :)

[Angie]

It really is quite an achievement. I agree, Jen. And I loved the book. Perhaps most of all because it left me okay with things even when I was sure I would never be.

[Jan@eatingyabooks]

I agree with your thoughts on the book. With everyone reading this I am not going to do a review myself,and your review is the first I have read. Great job.

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks, Sarah, Angie, and Jan. It feels really good to be back discussing books, and this seems like a fitting one to start with.

[Stephany Hughes]

Thanks for your thoughtful and in-depth review, Jen. I am glad you are getting back to your blog, even if you think it will be erratic for a while. I have been eager to read what you have to say about Mockingjay, but deliberately wrote my thoughts on my blog before I read yours. Great job, and thank you for introducing me to this series.

[JenStorySnoop]

I also loved the book. I found Katniss' emotional state heartbreaking, and watching her be manipulated (by both sides!) made me cringe. But, she is a character that is hard not to admire, even if you don't agree with all of her decisions.

[Shannon O'Donnell]

I'm in the middle of this one right now. Suzanne Collins has done something really special with this series. :-)

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks, Stephany! I do that, too (write my reviews before reading others, so that I'm not biased). I enjoyed your review, and am honored to have been the one to introduce you to the series.

Jen, it was heartbreaking to watch Katniss, and compelling. I'm glad that you liked the book, too.

[Kate Coombs]

Jen, I appreciate your take on this book. When I read Mockingjay and saw Katniss's many injuries (mental and physical), along with the resulting hospitalizations, I thought to myself, "Oh my goodness! An action character who, unlike in cartoons and so many movies, is really hurt when she's hurt--and it all takes a serious toll!" (Like Vietnam war vets or war refugees from so many countries.) I even started thinking of Katniss's injuries as symbols in their own right.

By the way, it's so very nice to see you posting again. Hope this means Baby-B is healthy and happy!

[Jen Robinson]

Thanks, Kate! It's great to be back, and yes, BB is healthy and growing like a weed. Sometimes she even naps long enough for me to work on the computer.

I think you could be right about Katniss's injuries being symbols. Certainly Collins thought all of this through. And it is refreshing to see an action character who isn't a cartoon character, healing instantaneously.

[Susan]

I was a little scared to delve into Mockingjay because I'd seen some ho-hum comments amongst my FB friends, but I think Collins did a good job. I too was satisfied with the resolution of the love triangle. I would have liked to know a little bit more about the reaction of the populace to the cliffhanger, but that's a small thing.

[Jen Robinson]

I'm glad you liked it, too, Susan. And there are always things that we want more of, at the conclusion to a series that really grabbed our attention. Still, satisfied overall