I read two chapters I this reading log, the first one entitled “Happy Birthday.” In this chapter, Oskari took the night watch while the President got some rest. Oskari learned the hard way that the President was a snorer, as he let out a unique sound all morning the next day. Oskari, drowsy and sort of hallucinating, was getting annoyed by the repeating sound. When he actually looked at the president, he realized that it wasn’t him making the noise after all. It was an elk. It was at this moment that Oskari’s brain finally kicked into gear and he went after the elk. This is where Dan Smith’s writing goes through the roof. His imagery is impeccable in these few pages, and he makes it really fun to read. Oskari’s hunting gets interrupted by the President saying “What the hell was that?” The president then congratulates Oskari on his thirteenth birthday (hence the name of the chapter). The elk then senses their presence and is quick to run away. Oskari is devastated 

The second chapter I read entitled “Dead Head”, is a pivotal chapter in the book. In this chapter, Oskari finds a white freezer chest that he is curious about. He gets closer to it and quickly smells the stench of what is inside. Dan Smith uses great imagery to describe how the smell goes through Oskari:

Without thinking, I turned my head and wafted my hands in front of me to get rid of the stink. It clung to my nostrils, though, sliding up into my brain and down into my lungs. The heavy stench seem to fill every part of me, and even when the worst of it was gone, the ghost of it remained. I put a hand over my mouth and swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the taste of it.

He opens the box to find the head of a buck with an arrow in its neck. He is very confused as to why a box with a buck head is in the middle of his dad’s secret hunting ground, until he read the piece of paper attached. The paper says: “To Oskari. Dad.” Devastation hit him hard as he found out that his father had killed a buck and sent the head to him because he didn’t believe in him. His father didn’t believe that he could bring back the head of an animal, so he did it for him. And his “secret hunting ground” was a bunch of BS. It was just in order to get the buck’s head delivered to Oskari. Dan smith says that Oskari wasn’t in his body anymore, but rather he was outside it, floating, looking down at himself. Whe the president tries to console him, he says to go away, and runs into the woods. When the president catches up to him, they have a conversation about his fathers delivery. The president does his best to try to look on the bright side, up but it is pretty hard to do that when your own father doesn’t believe in you. Their conversation is halted by a big boom in the middle of the forest, followed by smoke. It is a flare gun, and Oskari and the president soon realize that they had been found. 

I feel really bad for Oskari, and I too would be devastated if even my own father didn’t believe in me. At least there is good news for Oskari in that he and the president have been found. 

I cannot wait to continue to read Big Game. Its amazing story line, fantastic imagery, and unique twists make it very fun to read.