Book #11 The Hunger

The Hunger by Alma Katsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alma Katsu has achieved a remarkable story in The Hunger, based upon real events that occurred in 1846-1847; the tragic account of a group of American pioneers led by George Donner and James Reed that became known as The Donner Party. Their journey west to California would probably have been unremarkable had they not taken the disastrous decision to take a ‘short-cut’ to save some 300 miles on their long journey. The wagon train became trapped in the Sierra Nevada by seriously harsh conditions with relentless snow fall. Snowbound, minor bickering escalated into violent arguments amongst the travellers as food supplies were depleted.

Katsu has woven fiction into the true story. The real characters are here alongside others made up, to add depth to this very harrowing tale of tragedy. There is a ghoulish element that makes for uncomfortable reading - this is not a book for the feint-hearted. As the horror unfolds the pace becomes staccato and relentless with its inevitable conclusions.

A fictional account of a tragic piece of American social history written with great dexterity. Harsh, gruesome and realistic; fiction and fact have never been better combined.

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