The Hunger by Alma Katsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Snow kept secrets.”
“Hope…could be a very dangerous thing, especially when dealt to desperate hands.”
“Maybe that was the curse of these mountains – they turned you mad, then reflected your own madness back at you, incarnate.”
The Hunger is about the infamous Donner-Reed Party and their ill-fated attempt on the Oregon Trail. It is a well-known story but this take adds a little more supernatural element. The author took some liberties but a lot of the places and people are real. Some of the main characters are Charles Stanton who is single and has a past he berates himself for all the time. He is described as hardy and resourceful but attractive. Tamsen Dooner who is the wife of one of the leaders of the party at certain points. She is very attractive but everyone thinks of her as a type of witch. James Reed who was the leader of the party at one point as well. He was presented as much more urban than country and he had a secret that he would do anything to protect. Edwin Bryant who was on a mission to learn about Indigenous people and had a bit of medical history. This novel takes us on their journey as they try and survive their trek to California. They run into a lot of issues that were all part of the typical expedition but a few more that made this trip scarier. Who will survive and who will succumb to the natural and unnatural alike?
I think that Alma Katsu did a phenomenal job writing this book. Her descriptions are so vivid and real without being too verbose. “Whoever had first thought to call the pioneers’ wagons ‘prairie schooners’ was quite clever; the canopies did look like the sails of ships, blazing white under the brilliant morning sun. And the thick clouds of dust kicked up by wagon wheels could almost be mistaken for the swell of waves carrying their miniature ships across a desert sea.” You can just visualize what this looks like. Some scenes were so pastoral, homey, and calming. “She reached out and let her fingertips dance over the wildflower blossoms. For a moment, she thought of the yellow coneflowers that dotted her brother Jory’s vast wheat fields, untamable and abundant…The blossoms bent and swayed at her touch, so delicate they almost tickled.” The author really knows how to convey apt elucidations that conjure up a very detailed and specific image in my head. “His laugh was like water running over stones in the creek – fast and free and clear” and “thinking of Lydia still brought an ache to his chest, like the first deep breath of cold air.” The way women were depicted seems to align with the time but still can sound familiar in today’s world. It is sad and frustrating in general. “Women were always forced to smile.” I am not sure if this is a positive or negative thought but “So many women seemed to turn their words over in their mouths like sugar cubes, until you could never be sure of the shape of the original thought” was such a good turn of phrase. The horrible attitudes displayed also holds true for how the Indigenous people were treated. It angered me to read about it, especially knowing those attitudes still exist. One scene boiled my blood. One of the themes that I noted took place throughout the book was the idea of truths. What is truth? When should you tell it and when is it good to hold back? “For many people did not like the truth, it seemed – thought it was a dirty and distasteful thing, impolite and complicated…Many simply preferred the sweet, momentary pleasure of hearing whatever they wanted to hear.” There was a scene where the truth was going to come out but didn’t and I gooped out loud. The author was able to write some very tense scenes where it felt like a thriller/horror film was playing out in my head and my body physically reacted by contracting muscles. Granted it wasn’t total world-building but the development of the fictitious elements was incredible. The thoughtfulness and depth behind it shone through. Some of the words I discovered and liked in this novel were sluice, miasma, indefatigable, fetlock, and ravenous. You know how you read some books, and it is just one cliché after another and it seems like they are trying too hard? Well Alma was able to convey a lot of wisdom and thought-provoking phrases without resorting to well-worn and eye-rolling platitudes. One minor thing that did detract from the book was the fact that there were so many characters and it was hard to keep track of the ancillary characters. I did enjoy the ending though. It was angering, surprising, and well done. This is exactly the type of book I would recommend to someone who likes amazing descriptions, getting lost in the scenery, and historical fiction. Well worth it!
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