With the new movie coming out on November 20th of this year, now is the perfect time to analyze Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping. It's the fifth novel in the Hunger Games series and takes place 24 years before the original story. It's a dystopian novel that follows Haymitch Abernathy during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Unlike the other novels, this story gives the readers the chance to see Haymitch before he became the character we know from the original trilogy. Because it is the Second Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes are selected from each district, making the Games even more difficult. It also shows what happened to him, how he became so affected by the Hunger Games, and why he acts as he does later in the series.

Haymitch Abernathy is the main character in this novel, but this Haymitch is the one readers aren’t used to. In this novel, he is promising and has a precise future he wants. He’s clever, sarcastic, headstrong, and will take risks if needed. Another important character would be Lenore Dove, who is quite close to Haymitch. She gave him hope and a reason to come home. Their relationship is outstanding and meaningful because it shows Haymitch has a life worth living for and people he loves outside of the Games. 

One thing the novel does well is showing Haymitch as more than the sarcastic and alcoholic mentor from the original novels. Readers get to understand his personality, his relationships, and the things he cares about before the Games changed him entirely. The novel also does well of showing how shameful and demanding the Capitol is. The 50th Hunger Games is cruel because each district has to send twice as many tributes as usual. This makes the Games much more complicated and shows the Capitol uses dread to control the districts and tributes. The arena is also important because Haymitch has to use his environment and his knowledge to survive. It makes the games feel unpredictable and keeps the readers pondering what will happen later on. 

Nevertheless, the novel does have some parts where it falls short. Since readers already know what happens to Haymitch later in his life, some parts of the story can feel predictable. We already know he survived the Games, so there is no uncertainty about whether he will make it out alive or not. Some parts before the Games also feel a little sluggish, although they help clarify the characters and the story.

Suzanne Collins uses a mostly somber and stern tone, with some sarcastic and tender moments. This is effective because it lends to the story and shows how serious the Hunger Games are. The tone also helps show how living under the Capitol impacts people and how it changes their lives throughout the years in the series.

I would recommend this novel, especially to people who have read The Hunger Games series. It gives more depth to Haymitch and makes his character in the original novels easier to comprehend. I also think it’s more satisfying if you already know the original trilogy because there are characters, elements, and references that have more meaning when you recognize them. If someone has never read The Hunger Games, I would recommend reading the original novels first so they can comprehend the correlation better.

The everlasting impression the novel had on me was seeing how different Haymitch was before the Games. It made me understand why he became the person readers see in the original novels. It also showed me how much the Hunger Games can impact someone even after they leave the arena. Overall, the novel adds more depth to Haymitch’s character and gives readers another look at how brutal the Capitol really is.