Book Review: Battle Royale
This book will take you on quite a ride. I just put it down moments ago, and all 500+ pages of it were thrilling, horrifying, tragic, exhilarating, and extremely stressful. It never lets you stop to catch your breath, and you will experience a myriad of emotions while reading it.
I first heard of Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale a few years ago. I knew the gist of it: a bunch of Japanese kids on an island, forced to kill each other by a totalitarian regime. Immediately, the premise intrigued me – not out of a love of violence (many of the fight scenes in this book are nauseatingly detailed and difficult to read), but because I’m fascinated by anything that explores human nature.
If that premise sounds familiar to you, it’s because The Hunger Games was based in large part on this book. And boy, are there parallels. While I thought The Hunger Games was dark and brutal at times, it’s got nothing on this.
Without giving too much of the plot away, it is intriguing to read about how various types of people (all fifteen year olds) react in an extreme, high-pressure, violent situation. Some break, some embrace their darker tendencies, some band together, some attempt to be noble, and some try to take full advantage of the situation.
Though there are more than 42 characters to get to know, each one has a fully fleshed out, three-dimensional personality, which is a credit to the author.
While I do highly recommend this book, it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart or weak-stomached. It deals with very mature themes, including murder and rape – so if you are triggered by such things I would say it’s best to skip this one. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone below 15 or 16.
I really enjoyed reading this book, but I’m glad to be finished. It really did make me feel anxious and stressed out while I was reading it. I can finally take a deep breath, relax, and stop regarding my peers with suspicion. ;)
What’s the best thing you’ve read lately? Let me know in the comments! xx
