Behind every scar always lies an impactful story. Whether one of injustice, perseverance, or something in between– every one of these stories can help us better understand the people we encounter. “Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins, a prequel to one of her most renowned stories, “The Hunger Games,” demonstrates this theme unapologetically.
This prequel book follows the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, a very influential character that we see throughout the “Hunger Games” series. In the original book and film, Abernathy is portrayed as a troubled mentor to Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, the main protagonists. Once the victor of the 50th Hunger Games, now a pessimistic, alcoholic mess. The original story implies that Haymitch has endured many hardships, but leaves readers and audiences with a ‘hunger’ to better understand his character.
Haymitch Abernathy’s story is one of heartbreak, tragedy, and just about every negative thing a guy can be put through. It opens on the morning of ‘The Reaping’– the dreaded day in which tributes are selected from each district of Panem, to fight other children to the death in the deadly and corrupt ‘Hunger Games’. Before Haymitch’s gut-wrenching selection to be in the Games, we get a glimpse of his life before all of the tragedy. A love for nature, a beautiful girlfriend, and a humble life with his mother and little brother in the poverty-stricken District 12. Over the course of this story, Haymitch seemingly loses everything to the unbearable cruelty of the Capitol and the tyrannous President Snow.
A fair warning: this book will break your heart if you become invested. Suzanne Collins certainly has an amazing way of putting the reader into the mind of the leading character, and Haymitch Abernathy’s story is by no means an exception. When Haymitch makes a friend in the book, you feel the comfort right there with him. When he loses a friend, you feel his sorrow. As mentioned earlier, the book challenges readers to become more invested in its characters– even the new ones. Each character is given a certain level of dignity that comes with a hefty price tag, which haunts Abernathy as the Games progress. This dignity is a recurring theme that contributes to the book and to the overarching narrative of Suzanne Collins’s works. As each character is better understood, we also better understand the weight of Haymitch Abernathy’s powerful quote: “They will not use our tears for their entertainment”. This story is told through a very poetic lens that may lead to a very disappointing ending, but also sets the stage for all loose ends to be tied together much later in the series.
“The Hunger Games” series is one of the longest-running Young Adult series that still holds as much hype as it does. The first book of the series, “The Hunger Games,” was published in September of 2008, with PHS Media News’ first “Hunger Games” review being written in January of 2012. The series has seen movie adaptations for each of its books, including “Sunrise on the Reaping”, with its movie coming out in November of 2026. For those familiar with “The Hunger Games,” I highly recommend this book. This story in particular is very sad and filled with grief, but it sets up the overarching narrative to give every character a fulfilling and liberating ending.
