Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping has been one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it was such a treat to finally get it in my hot little hands. Like many Hunger Games fans, I've wanted this book well before it existed. I lamented to friends that the first Hunger Games prequel was about President Snow, not Haymitch. We don't know much about Haymitch's games from the original trilogy. We do know that they were brutal. 

I was also fascinated to know more about Haymitch's history. His trauma caused him to turn to drinking as a coping mechanism. Now that I've finished the novel, it's clear why Haymitch not only spent his time drinking but also why he spent his time alone. His involvement in the games changed the entire trajectory of his life. As they say, you never escape the arena. 

Going into this novel, I expected to feel sad and angry, but I didn't expect to revisit the feelings of betrayal that came up when I read Mockingjay. No one is safe in Sunrise on the Reaping, and I often thought, "She [Suzanne Collins] didn't need to do all that." But the point is that she did need to paint a picture of one of her most brutal games yet. In the original Hunger Games, Katniss was gifted many advantages over Haymitch, which surprised me. She was lucky to have Haymitch and his connections. Any connections Haymitch had in his games were through luck, and everyone outside the arena has an agenda, which puts young, vulnerable Haymitch's life at risk. 

In Katniss's games, she holds her young ally, Rue, in her arms while she dies. She is given moments to soothe herself and others, which provides respite for the reader. Haymitch is never afforded any levity. His loved ones are brutally killed, with no time to grieve, as he moves from one trauma to the next. This makes Sunrise on the Reaping a stressful read. 

We also learn that Haymitch's life before the games was relatively happy. His life immediately following the games was plagued with addiction, resulting from a desperate need to escape. Any power Haymitch had leading into the first Hunger Games book is a facade. His only safety, much like Joanna in Catching Fire, is that he has nothing left to lose. 

What is a life without connections, community and family? Haymitch's life becomes a tribute to having nothing left to live for, or at least in his case, to be sober for. His life is tragic. But what does it all mean? What encourages Haymitch to carry on? 

Once I finished Sunrise on the Reaping, I couldn't resist returning to the original novels with my new insight. By the time Katniss volunteers for her first games, Haymitch, as their mentor, has repeatedly sent children from District 12 to their deaths in the arena. 

It's hard to believe that Katniss, in all her trauma, had a better experience with the games overall. We know that she has to return to the arena, but she never has to mentor tributes in her future. She takes up the mantel that Haymitch carried 20 years prior, but Haymitch lacked the support system Katniss benefits from years later. When Haymitch tries and fails to overthrow the Hunger Games, he is left with the severe consequences of his actions. 

There's a lesson in comparing Haymitch's and Katniss's experiences in the games. We can see how the games have shifted over time and the strengthening of the rebellion. The rebellion is always an underlying threat in every Hunger Games novel. For instance, we see the rebels attempt to destroy the arena in the 10th Hunger Games in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The plan to overthrow the Capitol largely leaves the young tributes at great risk of becoming an example to any other potential rebels. 

By Katniss's games, the rebels are gaining a stronghold on the people in the districts. Haymitch's attempts to destroy the arena didn't have the desired effect, and he is punished in and outside the arena. Essentially, Haymitch is only kept alive for show. It would be mysterious for a victor and a public figure to disappear, although, as we learn, probably not impossible. Haymitch is strategically kept alive and all of his sense of gravity and comfort is forcefully destroyed, his allies in the arena are brutally killed, his family are killed in a fire, and his girlfriend is poisoned. 

It particularly resonated that Haymitch had recurring nightmares about killing Lenore Dove over and over. This is a realistic representation of regret. Haymitch's story becomes one of self-destruction, and he feels he has no choice but to attempt escape through binge drinking. He carries a great burden of the misplaced guilt for all the tragic deaths of his loved ones. 

When I read the Hunger Games trilogy, I felt frustrated with Haymitch that he was leaving his mentees, Katniss and Peeta, to fend for themselves as they initially transitioned into the games. SOTR provided the empathy we needed. I finished thinking- no wonder he drinks.  

With the addition of this new prequel, many readers are returning to the Hunger Games novels and finding that their themes are more relevant than ever. We live in a world which seems increasingly extreme in its politics. Our rights are being stripped away, extreme weather is becoming an increasing reality,  and wars rage with people's lives left in the balance. I hear many people express the same sentiment as Katniss, how can we justify bringing children into this world when we feel like it's falling apart. 

Of course, there is a "glimmer" of hope in all this. The backbone of Collins' novels lies in her world-building and character development. Despite their circumstances, these young people persevere. They are considered as well as creative and skilled. I don't think the weight of the problems of our world should solely fall on our young people, but there's a lot to say for their energy and drive for change. Much like Katniss and Haymitch, despite what people in positions of power throw at us, we need to keep fighting.