Literary Western-Horror splice
There is historical background to Alma Katsu’s novel, The Hunger, which is based on ‘The Donner Party’ – or, more properly, ‘The Donner-Reed Party’, a large group of pioneers, led by, at different times George Donner and James F. Reed, who set out, in May 1846, from Springfield Illinois, to travel to California. Initially there were 500 wagons, many families taking several wagons, filled with household possessions as well as supplies and cattle for food, as they were effectively moving home to a new State. The pioneers were mostly families, but with some single men, and most of the pioneers had a range of reasons for making this challenging journey. Some, inevitably were escaping past mistakes, crimes and misdemeanours, some looking for the prospect of creating a better life for their young families.
The journey was one which had been successfully done before, by others, and initially the Donner Party were doing fine.. A fatal mistake was made, however, to pursue a shortcut, the Hastings Cutoff, from Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Unfortunately Lansford Hastings, the promoter of this supposed short cut, had been – economical – with its suitability.
Great Salt Lake Desert Crossing
The party encountered severe problems with weather and terrain, firstly when the Hastings Cutoff proved not to be a short cut, landing the group in a parching desert crossing of the Great Salt Lake Desert, meaning that they joined the Oregon trail, making a push over the Sierra Nevada mountains, late in the season at the end of October, becoming trapped by heavy snowfall blocking the pass. Stuck in the high mountains, by the time rescue came less than half of the group of just under 90 who had set out on that final push were still alive. Others had not chosen to follow the route, or had left the wagon train earlier, There were also several rescue attempts which had resulted in some of the rescuers perishing. Food supplies ran out, and the survivors, or some of them, had resorted to cannibalism, eating the bodies of their dead companions
Sierra Nevada Mountains
Katsu, who writes well, really well, has taken the names of the real pioneers, but has created her own story around this, with an imaginative, horror explanation of what happened. Although for me the horror aspects are the least interesting parts of the book, having recently read Algernon Blackwood’s truly chilling short story The Wendigo, based on the beliefs of certain Native American tribes, I was more willing to be rattled by the fears of ‘this is a bad place’ energy being expressed by some in Katsu’s story who are sensitive to the energy of place.
Stumps of trees cut at the Alder Creek site by members of the Donner Party, photograph taken in 1866. The height of the stumps indicates the depth of snow. Wiki Commons
I always have certain problems with inventing stories (particularly bad ones) for real characters who once lived, and must confess to a certain unease here too, particularly when dodgy pasts and shady motivations and characterisations of one kind or another, are assigned to real people, though it certainly seems that some of those who are most harshly dealt with in her book were, indeed, those with stains laid against them by survivors
Reading the long Wiki entry, and a couple of other sources, on what is a gripping tale, with well drawn characters – particularly some of the women, really given flesh, integrity and stories – she has researched well, and the imaginative twist she inserts is one which even could have a scientific basis, given knowledge of Kuru and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases, associated not just with cannibalism, but where one species eats another which is not its ‘normal’ diet – BSE, Creutzfeld Jacob, etc a better known example of this.
I recommend this strongly. It is a very well told, well paced tale, with strong characterisation, moving and horrific. Just don’t read it (or part of it) late at night or close to meal times.
I received this as a review copy via Amazon Vine UK
Have you read any of Katsu’s other books? My one experience with her wasn’t that great. To be fair, I liked her writing and characterization; it was just the story that I didn’t like all that much.
No, this is the only one of hers I’ve ever read – and it was the historical story which interested me, and others had said she wrote well so I’m glad I took a punt
Sounds a little bit horrific if I’m honest, and I know you’ll smile considering the books I do chose to read, but books based on true stories are somehow more difficult to consume. that said, I am interested and if I do pick it up, I will take note to avoid food at the same time!
Well I did laugh – and am kind of the reverse. I will stiffen my resolve for the real more easily than the invented! I’m fascinated by what any of us might come to, given the right (or wrong) circumstances
I do think you might well get on with this one – though you might decide just to eat lettuces for a while!
As I was reading your review I was reminded of a film I saw years ago – Ravenous. I’ve just googled it and it is about the same events. That was a tough watch & I’m not sure I could read this. It’s interesting what you said about the female characters – despite being directed by Antonia Bird the film was very much about men.
It might put you off even eating Gingerbread Men!
Too high a price to pay!
I was drawn into your account of this story even before you go the horrific events. Like you, I am deeply interested in what people (who could be us) do when things are at the edge of survival. I’m pleased that your research shows Katsu’s story is closed to the historical events – that increases my motivation to read this too.
I gather she is primarily a Horror writer – not a genre I go for, but it was the subject matter of this which brought me to it, and I thought she handled it very very well. Really strong characterisation and a focus on the women in the story. Although there are events of horror here, they DID happen and, as stated, the sense of power in isolated landscapes is a palpable one and generates its own mystery, intensifying imagination