Sunrise On The Reaping Review

By Orla Lloyd

Suzanne Collins does it again!

Following a fan favourite character, Haymitch Abernathy, Suzanne Collins
explores the dangers of social inequity and power systems in Sunrise On The
Reaping. A consistent thread running through the series is the way public
perception is shaped through propaganda. Without spoilers, the capitol does
everything it can to present perfection, even cheating death to put on a strong
front. Propaganda is the bullet to the media machine that is Snow’s Panem. The
characters are constantly dehumanised, especially by the media, prodded to put
on a show, as if they are animals in a zoo. The media can completely desensitise
us to the pain and suffering of others. Sunrise On The Reaping has much to say
on this.

The 50th annual Hunger Games is a Quarter Quell, promising twice the
bloodshed of a regular year. Haymitch, an established character in the original
trilogy, is but a boy of seventeen, forced to enter the arena against 47 other
tributes. 47 other children. He becomes enravelled in a plot to break the arena
with the help of Plutarch Heavensbee and Wiress and Beetee. However, the arena
is not the main focus of the book – exploitation is. We sit with these characters
and experience their dread and anger before any physical fighting begins. We are
reminded that they are children, and that they will become statistics, odds to bet
on. This, in my opinion, is one of the book’s biggest strengths.

A standout character from the book is Maysilee Donner, a powerhouse who
refuses to let the Capitol take anything more from her than it already has. She will
not put on a show for the cameras unless it is one of defiance. She grew to be my
favourite character, strong in her convictions.

The writing is easy to devour, simplistic, but full of depth in the themes it
explores. The narrative is told from a young Haymitch’s perspective, and just like
the original trilogy, this works well to emphasise just how young the unwilling
participants of the Hunger Games are. We see a different side to Haymitch, just
as witty as he is as a mentor to Katniss and Peeta, but softer, not yet hardened by
the Games and their subsequent consequences. He is young and in love with a
songbird reminiscent of Lucy Gray. He has a family, and drink surprisingly does
not tempt him. It is merely a way of coping with the horrors and guilt he must live
with until the sun does not rise on another reaping.

Quieting rebellion with the sweet scent of rose, Snow is as vicious and unsettling
as always, making it hard to believe that there was ever any empathy in his
ice-cold heart. He takes slights to his reign personally, aware that any small act
(perhaps a handful of berries) could raise a rebellion. This is a thinly veiled
warning that power left unchecked promises deadly consequences.

This novel works well as a standalone, though it is abundant with references for
loyal readers of her earlier Hunger Games trilogy and prequel Ballad of Songbirds
and Snakes. It neatly complements the other books in the series, showing the
brutality of dictatorship and the injustices it supports as well as the media’s
undeniable culpability in uplifting it, denying Haymitch a moment with his family
unless they perform for the camera.

“They will not use my tears for their entertainment”.

There are moments of fan service, but the book makes good use of familiar faces,
showing previous attempts to battle Snow’s dictatorship, which serves to show
that a rebellion takes time and momentum. There is a catharsis here in knowing
that these characters do eventually get the justice they’ve worked so hard for.
Especially for Haymitch, who loses so much. By including characters such as
Plutarch and Beetee, and Wiress, a message of hope is ultimately delivered as
good will always prevail. But it does take time and consistent effort. Haymitch
does his best to defy Snow, but in the end, he couldn’t be the face of the rebellion,
a beacon of hope like Katniss was.

The lesson that Sunrise On The Reaping has imparted upon me is to keep trying,
even when it seems entirely futile. The efforts that ultimately reshaped Panem
took decades. The 75th Hunger Games wasn’t the first time they tried to break
the arena. Katniss was not the first Mockingjay. This echoes our current political
climate, that it is to keep trying in the face of futility, for good will prevail in the
end.

If you are craving more of the Hunger Games, or waiting for the film that will
follow this book (slated for a 2026 release), or even just looking for a good read,
then I highly recommend you delve into Haymitch’s story.