4.5 stars for The Hunger by Alma Katsu.
I really have no idea that this book is based on a true story, the ill-fated Donner Party, until I read the author's acknowledgements at the end. Once the realisation hit home, I am filled with awe at the amazing way the author weaves a tale by combining history with fiction, and a supernatural one at that.
For the benefit of those who have yet to come across this true story, the following is the gist of it.
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Of the eighty-three persons who were snowed in at Donner Lake, forty-two perished, and of the thirty-one emigrants who left Springfield, Illinois, only eighteen lived to reach California.
Frankly speaking, because I am not familiar with the above tragic events of the Donner Party, when I look back at The Hunger, I cannot be sure which portion of it is real and which fiction. Good thing is, the author acknowledges that while much else have been changed to fit her story, names, locations and dates have remained.
In the book, there is talk of supernatural elements such as spirits, demons, skinwalkers and the like and then, there is the natural occurrence of things such as human nature, anger, jealousy and resentment. When combined, it makes for a powerful storyline, one where you cannot be sure which is more dangerous when it rears its ugly head.
As to the wagon party, the author does a remarkable job giving life and depth to some of the more important characters. All of them have a reason for making this perilous journey from Springfield, Illinois to the West, to California, the land of opportunity, and each has his or her own secret to tell. Secrets that are revealed through an inner voice that the author cleverly furnishes the characters with.
The thing most worthy to note in the entire tragedy of this story is that of the human mind. Trapped by mountain of mountains, vast desert, endless prairie, wide rivers, deep snow, it is scary to think what the human mind is capable of. The human mind is, after all, susceptible to insidious influence, especially when people are hungry, tired, and afraid.
Much as I love this story and am prepared to give a 5-star rating at halfway mark, I cannot help but feel disappointed with the ending. Not that the ending is no good, but it feels kind of abrupt when there are still some loose ends to tie up. Perhaps it is a deliberate move by the author to go ambiguous and leave it to the reader's imagination. Still, I will have preferred a more definite ending, not one that triggers a need to find out more by reading the real story behind the fictional one.
Then again, regardless of the closure, the Donner Party true story, has piqued my interest. Yes, I will like to follow up on the two books recommended by the author for further reading. It will be an eye-opener to learn more about the events in this doomed wagon train.
