So, now it is time for The Hunger Games. This is fast becoming my new favourite book, previously it was The Lovely Bones.
(Angela walks into Brennan's office to find Brennan sitting on the couch reading a paperback copy of The Hunger Games.)
BRENNAN: Just a second Angela, I'm nearly finished.
ANGELA: How many more pages?
BRENNAN: Three.
ANGELA: Okay, I'll wait.
(Angela sits in the chair in front of Brennan's desk and waits as Brennan reads and slowly turns the pages of the book.)
BRENNAN: Okay, I'm done.
ANGELA: Cool. Cam is sick so it is just you and I today. Did you enjoy the book?
BRENNAN: I'd say yes. I mean this is the third young adult, first-person novel we have read, the other two being Breaking Dawn and The Lovely Bones. The other first-person novels we read that were for adults were Fifty Shades of Grey, The Handmaid's Tale, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, and Dead Until Dark. All of them are from the perspective of a female. The Hunger Games isn't really any different.
ANGELA: True, but if you were a teenage girl, who would you relate better to: Katniss or Bella?
BRENNAN: Well, Bella is supposed to be the everyday teenager but she does come across badly, which is fine if it was intentional. Katniss, while her situation is much worse than Bella's, doesn't whine about it. She gets on with it.
ANGELA: So what you are saying is that Bella brings feminism back about fifty years, but Katniss tries to move it forward?
BRENNAN: This isn't really a feminist novel, nor is the main female a feminist. She is put into situations where she is either starving, injured or about a second away from dying and even after she gets through that, she moves on because that is all she can do during the games. It is what anyone, be it a male or female, in the games would – aside from the Carrier Tributes.
ANGELA: So if this was from the perceptive of Peeta, the story wouldn't be any different.
BRENNAN: Yes. Though I think there are a lot of novels that have a first-person female protagonist, books are mainly targeted at females because females are easier to relate to from a teenager's point of view, and many of the authors are female.
ANGELA: It would be interesting to see the Harry Potter books as first-person. Anyway, do you think as a young adult novel it brings anything new? I think this is more satirical of reality shows such as The X Factor where only one can come on top and how we watch this as entertainment, even though it is a little cruel.
BRENNAN: I think so, and the way the tributes have to get sponsors is like the contestants getting votes. That is actually an interesting update to the dystopian novel. I mean The Handmaid's Tale is about what if America was sent back to the Old Testament days, The Hunger Games has that kind of futuristic feel, yet you can relate it to the present day.
ANGELA: It is quite clever but it is a difficult subject matter because it is kids killing kids. I mean why don't Capitol take two kids from every district and just kill all of them to send out the warning not to rebel. It would be cheaper and quicker to kill them all.
BRENNAN: The same reason that English guy with the square hair cut has for bringing out another reality show even though he has about two already: it's entertainment for the rich people and torture for those with a brain cell. What did you think of the ending?
ANGELA: I expected Katniss to win. There was no doubt because it couldn't end with her dying abruptly. However, I didn't think Peeta would make it after his leg wound became infectious and he developed septicaemia. I thought he would be the one to die of natural causes.
BRENNAN: True. I'm glad though because the author developed her two main characters rather than the others because well they were going to die so we were going to care less about them. Aside from Rue. I liked Rue.
ANGELA: I get what you mean because while Peeta is a slight wimp, he is physically strong and is actually not dependent on Katniss until he has to be.
BRENNAN: I think we've pretty much summed this up. Do you want to text Cam the next book?