The facts alone are fascinating, but with Alma Katsu’s fiction interwoven with hints of the supernatural and Indian myths it becomes a thrilling, spine tingling horrific tale. Their supplies were low, many of them died of starvation, and some of them resorted to eating their animals and it is supposed, the deceased members of the group. So by the time they got to the Oregon trail to take them over the Sierra Nevada mountains it was late in the season, at the beginning of November and their way was blocked by heavy snowfall. It took them into the Great Salt Lake Desert, a much harder and longer route, a long hard dry drive without water and without feed for the animals. The Donner Party did set out to get to California, and they did take what was supposed to be a short cut that promised to cut 300 miles off their journey, following a trail called the Hastings Cutoff, from Fort Bridger, Wyoming and this proved to be their downfall – it wasn’t a short cut. She lists the sources she has used and explains where she has varied from the actual facts and added fictional characters. I knew nothing about the history so it was all fascinating to me – especially as I’m always drawn to stories of pioneers.Īlma Katsu has taken the basic facts and has woven a fictional tale around them to explain what happened. This is historical fiction based on the true story of the Donner Party.

They formed a wagon train under the leadership of George Donner and James Reed making their way west to California in 1846. The Hunger by Alma Katsu is a story about the Donner Party, comprising pioneers, people who were looking for a better life in the American West. As the survivors turn against each other, a few begin to realise that the threat they face reaches beyond the fury of the natural elements, to something more primal and far more deadly.īased on the true story of The Donner Party, The Hunger is an eerie, shiver-inducing exploration of human nature, pushed to its breaking point. Driven to the brink of madness, the ill-fated group struggles to survive and minor disagreements turn into violent confrontations. The searing heat of the desert gives way to biting winds and a bitter cold that freezes the cattle where they stand. One is well-documented – the other untested, but rumoured to be shorter.ĭonner’s decision will shape the lives of everyone travelling with him. They face two diverging paths which lead to the same destination.

It is time for their leader, George Donner, to make a choice. After having travelled west for weeks, the party of pioneers comes to a crossroads.

The hunger novel alma katsu