Suzanne Collins has done it again. Seventeen years after The Hunger Games and five years after the hit prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, she has released Sunrise on the Reaping, recounting the experience in the 50th Hunger Games through the eyes of fan-favorite character Haymitch Abernathy.Â
Collins is a phenomenal writer, and while every Hunger Games novel has kept me hooked, Sunrise on the Reaping took it to another level. I read the book in just one day, and was unable to keep it down. The novel truly reveals why Haymitch is the way he is in the original trilogy.
**SPOILERS AHEAD!!**
Sunrise on the Reaping entails the infamous Second Quarter Quell, where twice the number of tributes are reaped. Reaping Day happens to be Haymitch’s birthday, and all he wants is to get through the reaping and spend the rest of the day with his mother, little brother, and girlfriend, Lenore Dove. As readers, we are already aware that Haymitch is reaped in these games, but Collins still finds a way to surprise us. She shows us that Haymitch’s reaping was rigged, despite being portrayed in the media and even in the original book series as a legitimate reaping. From the very beginning of the book, Collins sets the stage for the novel’s overall message: no one is immune to propaganda.Â
The novel also features plenty of allusions to both the original trilogy and the prequel. Lenore Dove is a member of the Covey, like Lucy Gray Baird, and it is revealed that Haymitch’s best friend, Burdock, is not only Lenore Dove’s cousin but also Katniss’s father.Â
Haymitch’s mentors during the games are Mags and Wiress, who were introduced to us in Catching Fire. Seeing Mags and Haymitch’s relationship develop makes it even more emotional to recall Haymitch’s reaction to Mags volunteering for Annie in the Third Quarter Quell, where he calls her a “wonderful lady.” Another Catching Fire character brought back is Beetee, where it is revealed that he has tried to go against the Capitol before, which led to his own son Ampert being reaped in Haymitch’s games. Beetee, Haymitch, and Ampert ultimately form their own plan to try to rebel against the games, with much of Haymitch’s goal in the arena being to carry out the plan.Â
Haymitch was unable to create an impact with the plan formed by Beetee, but during the game, he discovered the force field at the edge of the arena and ultimately used this knowledge to win the games. However, President Snow was aware of Haymitch’s rebellious tendencies; therefore, Haymitch was never intended to be the winner of the games. Snow even sent Haymitch poisoned milk as a sponsor gift to kill him, which Haymitch debated drinking to ensure his loved ones would be safe. However, the death of his final ally prevents him from drinking it, ultimately bringing him to the edge of the arena, where the remaining tribute throws an axe at him, but the force field bounces it onto her own head.Â
After his attempts at rebellion, Snow would never have let Haymitch and his loved ones live, which was proven when he returned from the games. His mother and little brother perished in a fire, which was said to be an accident, but Haymitch knew it was done purposefully. When Haymitch went to see Lenore Dove in the aftermath, he fed her a gumdrop, her favorite candy, but realized too late that it was not the bright color of the sweets he had bought for her. Instead, it was Snow’s signature blood-red. She tragically passes in his arms, and Haymitch is driven to become the man we know him as in the original trilogy: A cynical drunkard with no family or friends.
This is what makes the epilogue of the novel especially heart-wrenching. The epilogue takes place after the events of the first three novels and is a conversation between Katniss and Haymitch. Haymitch has finally found peace and can think of Lenore Dove and feel content, knowing that he has finally fulfilled his promise to her to end the games once and for all.Â
Sunrise on the Reaping was an experience to read, and something I won’t forget for a long time. If you, like me, have been left inconsolable after this novel, I recommend you reread the original trilogy, armed with new context. And of course, be ready for the movie, to be released in November 2026!