Sunrise on the Reaping is the fifth book in the Hunger Games series and the second prequel. This book focuses on Haymitch Abernathy and the 50th Hunger Games.
Haymitch Abernathy is a 16-year-old boy whose birthday lands on Reaping Day. He gets reaped for the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, which doubles the number of tributes being forced to fight to the death. However, Haymitch does not want to go down without a fight and gets involved in a plot to break the Arena in an act of rebellion, but faces the wrath of President Snow.
The Hunger Games series has been Suzanne Collins’ most popular series as an author. It was popular with young adult readers and spawned a successful film series. There were many literary and cinematic copycats trying to copy The Hunger Games’ success. The original series ended on a conclusive note, so the only way to continue the series is to go backwards. The risk of prequels is that readers will know the outcome of the story, which can significantly reduce the tension. The readers who would be most interested in Sunrise on the Reaping will be Hunger Games fans who already know the story. Catching Fire already told Haymitch’s story in the Hunger Games, and the horrific outcome, although the film version omitted this story.
Haymitch mirrored Katniss. They were both the same age, came from the poorest area of District 12, their fathers died in mining accidents, had younger siblings they doted over, and partook in some illegal activity. In Haymitch’s case, his brother was 10, and he was a bootlegger instead of a hunter/poacher. The first Hunger Games novel stated that Katniss and Haymitch had a psychic connection and Haymitch could communicate through sponsors’ gifts. The prequel gives more context on why that happened.
The story in Sunrise on the Reaping also had similarities to the first two books, where Katniss had to train for the games, formulate a media strategy, and form alliances with other tributes. It was more of the same from the series. Longtime readers will probably enjoy it. I enjoy formulating the media strategy. The Hunger Games’ unique selling point has been the media element since the tributes had to win over the crowd so they could have the support and resources to survive in the arena. It wasn’t a Battle Royale situation where a bunch of kids were thrown into an arena and made to duke it out. Whilst the Hunger Games novels have a template, there were differences between them all. There are different characters, strategies, arenas, and scenarios; no two Hungers are the same. Collins knows how to write thrilling action sequences, and it was easy to visualise the fights with scenes with tributes and mutts, and other survival situations. The film adaptation was announced at the same time as the book, and reading it led me to think of some of the casting, like Ralph Fiennes as President Snow.
All the District 12 winners had a rebellious nature, but Haymitch stood out for three reasons. He was male, he never achieved the popularity of Katniss or Lucy Gray Baird, and Haymitch wanted to humiliate The Capitol, not just survive. Haymitch told his mentors he wanted to make a statement, and he didn’t want to be a plaything for The Capitol. Haymitch ended up working with characters who made their appearance in Catching Fire and Mockingjay in a plot to ‘break the arena.’ This plot gave Sunrise on the Reaping more agency and tragedy. Haymitch was more willing to ruffle feathers within The Capitol’s which made him more of a target, especially for President Snow.
Sunrise on the Reaping was Haymitch’s tragic origin story. He went from a teetotal teenager with a girlfriend he loved to a lonely alcoholic who was forced to push everyone he knew away. Haymitch suffered a lot during the Hunger Games, which was particularly cruel because of the double tributes, and President Snow made sure he suffered after the Games.
Sunrise on the Reaping was a book for the fans of the series. It went over familiar territory, but it was an enjoyable enough read due to the action in the arena and Haymitch’s attempt to humiliate The Capitol.
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