It also happens to be Haymitch’s 16th birthday. And just to stack even more odds against him, it’s the Second Quarter Quell, an anniversary special of the Games which is to be “celebrated” by forcing double the number of tributes to fight to the death.
He’s carted off to the Capitol for the Games’ promotional campaign, including staged interviews and training sessions, but Haymitch struggles to grasp what’s in store for him. A typical teenager, he worries about what his girlfriend would think of his alliances instead of how they could secure his survival. Even as he’s pulled into plans to destroy the arena and humiliate the Capitol, Haymitch’s main concern lies on whether Lenore Dove is safe.
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But once he enters the beautiful (yet deathly poisonous) arena, his attitude begins to morph, much like the “muttations” let loose on the tributes throughout the Games. We see signs of the hardened, cynical Haymitch we know so well, witnessing in real-time the loss of childhood and the crushing force of unchecked control.
Sunrise on the Reaping is everything I love about The Hunger Games series. While the beginning follows the first almost beat for beat – a good chunk is dedicated to wielding axes, killer mutated animals and buckets of blood – it’s sprinkled with the sequel’s signature spirit of rebellion. If Haymitch had been luckier – if he had the backing Katniss eventually has – he may have become the Districts’ revolutionary symbol.
This is not to say Haymitch’s story is a regurgitation of Katniss’. His experience confirms what many fans suspected all along: that the rebellion was simmering for decades. If Katniss was the final piece of the puzzle, Haymitch was one of the first.
Reading Sunrise on the Reaping made me feel like a 12-year-old again, filling me with the same sense of wonder, exhilaration and fear I felt when following Katniss around the arena. It’s a nostalgia trip for long-time fans and a thrilling, gruesome entry point for new readers. The odds felt like they were slipping away from Collins after her previous prequel, but I think this one will place her back in the victor’s seat.
Sunrise on the Reaping (Scholastic) is available now.
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