Who should read Battle Royale?

Battle Royale describes a nightmare scenario which takes place in an apocalyptic future; a future where the government controls everything and would do anything to keep it that way. Therefore, they have organized an annual event called the Program, in which junior high school students have to fight each other until there’s only one survivor left. It’s a bloody and gruesome thriller about isolation, fear and realizing how far you’re willing to go and how much you’re willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive.

First of all, I want to say that I personally enjoyed this book. Okay, enjoyed might not be the right word in the context, but still. I found it interesting and thrilling, while at the same time, it also got you to think. Now, it might just be me, since I’ve developed this fascination with dystopian stories, but that’s not the only reason. I think, having a particular interest for politics and psychology, is of use when reading this book. It explores the human mind and how people act during pressured situations, not to mention, life threatening. Even though the book is fiction, I can’t help but think that the author has a point when it comes to this. Also, politics plays an important part in the story. For example; the information you get about the society and the government, helps you understand the book on another level and you can easily draw parallels between this world and our world. The Republic of Greater East Asia, as the country is called, reminds you of any country run by a dictator or a strict government.

The language may be a bit complicated in some parts, but it’s still easy to understand and follow. What might be a bit of a struggle though, is keeping track of the different students. The point of view changes between them and you get to know each student to some extent; either it’s their background or how they feel about the situation they’re in. This makes the whole book a lot more interesting, since you get a lot of different views on the whole thing, not to mention, a detailed description on how the human mind works on different people. Because of this, I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who can’t stand violence and death. Since you get to follow different people, you get to read about most of the deaths. In other words; if you don’t mind reading about 14-15 year olds killing each other in the most brutal and sick ways, you’re good to go.

All in all, I think anyone who’s interesting in politics and action should read this book. If you’re like me, fascinated about different social structures and the cruelty of man, it’s a big plus. Preferably though, you shouldn’t be too young while reading it. There are some pretty detailed and horrid scenes, not to mention the cruelty of forcing kids to kill each other. Also, since they tend to criticize the system and the way the country is run, the author takes it to a deeper level which might be hard to understand if you’re too young. Though, besides that, I would recommend it to anyone who’s up for a small challenge and is interested in dystopias. 

//Johanna