“Sunrise on the Reaping,” by Suzanne Collins officially hit the shelves as of March 18 2025. This book was the much awaited fifth installment of the “Hunger Games” universe.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy, who many know as District 12’s only living victor of the Hunger Games, and how he won them. His Hunger Games was the 50 anniversary, so a special reaping took place where twice as many tributes were selected to go into the arena that year. Meaning, that instead of the 24 tributes (2 from each district, one boy and one girl, ages 12 to18), there were 48 tributes (4 from each district, as well as two boys and two girls.)
After the success that Suzanne Collins had with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2020 it would be easy to assume, as many had, that “Sunrise on the Reaping” would be a quick money grab for the famed author. Upon reading this novel, it is clear to see that this was a well thought out and well-planned book that quenched a long-held thirst for more elaboration within the “Hunger Games” universe.
The exploration of Haymitch’s character is something that many have been hoping for, especially with the small details that readers had gained throughout the original trilogy. There had been off handed comments in the epilogue of “Mockingjay” that may have left some readers with questions, but those questions that had been stewing for a long time were finally answered.
Suzanne Collins did an excellent job of telling the story of a broken character and how he became broken to the point of drinking himself practically to death. She gave readers the reason for Haymitch being irritable about helping Katniss and Peeta, him calling Katniss “sweetheart” and even answered questions about his family and the lack of their presence in the original “Hunger Games” trilogy. This book made Haymitch a living, breathing character in every sense. Not only that, but it gave more insight to the culture of District 12, the Covey, and how President Snow is handling his failed relationship from 40 years ago.
There is something to be said about why Collins chose to write this book here and now. The easy answer lies in the fact that the “Hunger Games” books have always been rooted in reality for the politics of the fictional country, Panem. For some it may be easier than others to see the parallels between the governmental system in Panem and our own here in the United States, but this novel made it clear that Collins was providing commentary on the systems in the United States. Particularly, in the system of the reaping, capitalistic ideals and commodification of basic items there are stark parallels that can be drawn.
All in all, this book was a joy to read for all of the reasons above and for all of the call backs it made to the original trilogy of books. There were so many little pieces that show the reader that this book truly wasn’t a money grab, but was something that had been thought through for a long time. However, this book made Rue’s death in “The Hunger Games” look happy, and that’s truly saying something. “Sunrise on the Reaping” was a five-star read for me as someone who has enjoyed all of the Hunger Games books since I was a kid. I would recommend “Sunrise on the Reaping” to anyone who is looking for a good, sad and nuanced read. Even if you haven’t read the original trilogy, this book can be read as a stand-alone and it is more than worth it.
