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A review by booksamongstfriends
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
4.0
3.5 Rounded Up. The Hunger is a slow-burn historical thriller with a fascinating taste of the paranormal. I went into this one blindly, based solely on a family friend's recommendation, and I’m so glad I did. It takes place during the Donner Party’s infamous journey, a story many might know vaguely but probably not in much detail. The novel does an excellent job of grounding you in the dire, haunting atmosphere of this ill-fated migration.
Set primarily over one year, the narrative flickers between past and future moments to give depth to the story while focusing on the harrowing present. The slow pace works in its favor, immersing you in the gradual descent into chaos and hopelessness. The starvation, the infighting, the unraveling of rationality—it all builds a palpable sense of dread, mirroring the unavoidable tragedy we know awaits.
But the novel doesn’t stop at human desperation. It introduces a chilling paranormal element: a disease or curse spreading through the group, particularly among the men. This "hunger" feels sinister, almost predatory, and it adds a fascinating layer to the story. The men become simultaneously victims and threats, and the book plays on this tension well. While I would’ve loved for the author to push the paranormal aspects even further into the strange and horrifying, I appreciate that she kept the focus on the grim reality of the Donner Party’s plight.
One of the things I found most compelling was the way the book shined a light on a historical moment that often gets glossed over. We hear so much about westward migration and the Gold Rush, but rarely do we linger on the gruesome realities of these journeys. The Donner Party’s story, both in real life and in this fictionalized version, serves as a reminder of the brutal cost of that pursuit of opportunity.
As a Black woman, I also couldn’t help but reflect on the broader cultural context of migration during this era. While the book touches on the reasons people joined this expedition—escaping pasts, seeking new beginnings, or stretching their resources—it doesn’t fully explore the cultural and societal dynamics of the time. There are brief mentions of interactions with Native peoples and glimpses of the travelers’ motivations, but I think this could’ve been expanded further for even more depth.
That said, The Hunger is an engrossing read. It captures the terrifying reality of a group on the brink of collapse, haunted by their choices and hunted by something beyond their understanding. It’s a novel where one decision echoes through every life lost, taken, or sacrificed. I’d recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a dark twist.
Set primarily over one year, the narrative flickers between past and future moments to give depth to the story while focusing on the harrowing present. The slow pace works in its favor, immersing you in the gradual descent into chaos and hopelessness. The starvation, the infighting, the unraveling of rationality—it all builds a palpable sense of dread, mirroring the unavoidable tragedy we know awaits.
But the novel doesn’t stop at human desperation. It introduces a chilling paranormal element: a disease or curse spreading through the group, particularly among the men. This "hunger" feels sinister, almost predatory, and it adds a fascinating layer to the story. The men become simultaneously victims and threats, and the book plays on this tension well. While I would’ve loved for the author to push the paranormal aspects even further into the strange and horrifying, I appreciate that she kept the focus on the grim reality of the Donner Party’s plight.
One of the things I found most compelling was the way the book shined a light on a historical moment that often gets glossed over. We hear so much about westward migration and the Gold Rush, but rarely do we linger on the gruesome realities of these journeys. The Donner Party’s story, both in real life and in this fictionalized version, serves as a reminder of the brutal cost of that pursuit of opportunity.
As a Black woman, I also couldn’t help but reflect on the broader cultural context of migration during this era. While the book touches on the reasons people joined this expedition—escaping pasts, seeking new beginnings, or stretching their resources—it doesn’t fully explore the cultural and societal dynamics of the time. There are brief mentions of interactions with Native peoples and glimpses of the travelers’ motivations, but I think this could’ve been expanded further for even more depth.
That said, The Hunger is an engrossing read. It captures the terrifying reality of a group on the brink of collapse, haunted by their choices and hunted by something beyond their understanding. It’s a novel where one decision echoes through every life lost, taken, or sacrificed. I’d recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a dark twist.