The Hunger (2018)
Written by: Alma Katsu
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 373 (Hardback)
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Why I Chose It: Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Adding a supernatural element to the story of the doomed, cannibalistic Donner Party struck me as an excellent idea.
The premise:
A tense and gripping reimagining of one of America’s most fascinating historical moments: the Donner Party with a supernatural twist.
Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.
That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the brink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy…or the feelings that someone — or something — is stalking them. Whether it’s a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.
As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains…and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along.
Effortlessly combining the supernatural and the historical, The Hunger is an eerie, thrilling look at the volatility of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.
Mild Spoilers Ahead.
Discussion: The Hunger is a legitimately terrifying book, especially at the start. The sense that you are isolated in a desolate wilderness with something watching and waiting for you is incredibly creepy and Katsu evokes it perfectly. The deaths in this book are violent and gruesome.
“There wasn’t even a body, not really. There was almost nothing left but the skeleton. Tatters of flesh and scattered bones in a flattened, blood-soaked circle in the grass, intestines lying in a heap and already dark with flies.” (p.34).
This is a frightening story even without the lurking presence of supernatural evil. One of the scariest parts is when the characters begin to realize that they started this journey too late, and they’re not going to make it to California before the winter sets in. They also know that they are running out of food and whatever is out there has eaten all the wildlife.
The book does suffer from having too many narrators. I found myself forgetting which violent man with a disturbing history was which. It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the dark secrets the characters are hiding. They include practicing witchcraft, hearing ghosts, unplanned pregnancy, closet homosexuality, incest, and selling tainted tonics. The events of the book would have had more emotional impact with fewer points of view. I wish that Katsu had focused on the most compelling characters — Charles Stanton, a good man running from a tragic past, Tamsen Donner, the beautiful wife of the wealthy and foolish George Donner, and Edwin Bryant, an educated man who came on this journey to research Native American legends.
One of the disturbing aspects of the book that has nothing to do with the supernatural is that the majority of the characters are virulently racist towards Native Americans. At first, the mysterious deaths are blamed on wolves or Indians. The racism is historically accurate but still unsettling. Only Edwin seeks help from the Native Americans and finds them more willing to share food and hospitality than the settlers. Thomas, a Native American who was hired to serve as a guide, is dismissed as a heathen. He still tries to warn the settlers:
“Then the Lord must be mightily displeased with you, because he has led you into the valley of death. Make peace with your Lord before it is too late, because the hungry ones are coming for you” (p.184).
The Hunger starts out strong and scary but fizzles toward the end. The origin story of the lurking evil gets very convoluted. It would have been much easier to explain the deaths by creating a malevolent spirit or creature that was native to the wilderness. The book’s actual explanation for the violence and deaths did not make sense. Unless you’re historically illiterate, you go into this book knowing that people are going to eat each other. When the cannibalism finally does occur, it isn’t all that shocking or frightening. It was a let-down because the whole point of telling this story in the context of the Donner Party is the cannibalism.
In conclusion: Although the ending was disappointing and the book could have benefited from a tighter focus with fewer characters, The Hunger still has enough chills and thrills to make it worth reading. I read online that The Hunger may become a movie. I think this story may actually work better as a film because the descriptions of the gory violence and barren wilderness had more impact than the character’s inner monologues.
This indeed sounds pretty creepy!!! Thanks for reviewing it, Kelly!