The first Hunger Games book was pretty good. It probably should have ended there, since in the second and third books the protagonist constantly demonstrated an ignorance that bordered on stupidity. Characters and events continually provided Katniss with clues that should have tipped her off that there was more going on than she was initially aware of. Yet she constantly persisted in her ignorance until each revelation was spelled out to her in shocking detail. These clues were provided simultaneously to both her and, vicariously, the reader. Anyone following along should have been able to see that there was more going on, even if the reader couldn’t tell exactly what it was.
Really, though, I found it to be the result of poor writing. When a story follows just one character, the prose necessarily reveals information to its protagonist at the same time that information is revealed to the reader. This lack of consistency of shared knowledge between the main character and me ruined the last two books of The Hunger Games trilogy because it made me think she was dumb. Also, the third book was incredibly boring.
Some authors do the opposite, which is equally frustrating—they reveal information to the protagonist, yet intentionally conceal it from the reader. Two books I’ve read that prominently feature this problem are The DaVinci Code and The Mysteries of Udolpho. It is another mark of poor writing, being both manipulative and breaking the suspension of disbelief by reminding me that I am reading a book and should know exactly what the main character knows (and vice-versa) when the story is written from one character’s perspective.
Really, though, I found it to be the result of poor writing. When a story follows just one character, the prose necessarily reveals information to its protagonist at the same time that information is revealed to the reader. This lack of consistency of shared knowledge between the main character and me ruined the last two books of The Hunger Games trilogy because it made me think she was dumb. Also, the third book was incredibly boring.
Some authors do the opposite, which is equally frustrating—they reveal information to the protagonist, yet intentionally conceal it from the reader. Two books I’ve read that prominently feature this problem are The DaVinci Code and The Mysteries of Udolpho. It is another mark of poor writing, being both manipulative and breaking the suspension of disbelief by reminding me that I am reading a book and should know exactly what the main character knows (and vice-versa) when the story is written from one character’s perspective.