The Hunger

The Hunger by Alma Katsu  384 pages

I was warned. It was right there on the back in big, bold letters, “A Tense and Gripping Reimagining.” The genre of this book could be classified as historical horror, a mashup of sorts, I guess.

This was the first time I had ever read any historical fiction about the infamous Donner Party, who left Springfield, Illinois, on a 2,500-mile journey to California on April 16, 1846. The nine wagons were delayed due to a series of mishaps and mistakes, causing the wagon train to be stranded high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Of the 89 men,women and children who began were stranded, only 49 made it out. As their food ran out, the party was forced to result to cannibalism in order to survive.

While Katsu, stays true to the people and timeline of the original party, she throws in a supernatural element. For me it didn’t work. It didn’t feel real to me, especially since the factual story of cannibalism is much more horrific than the beings attacking the travelers.

I was disappointed how the paranormal interfered with the real story, and I was especially disappointed in the book’s ending.  Therefore, The Hunger receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.