Sunrise on The Reaping: The Most Anticipated Book of the Year

Written by: Alexandra Calzadilla

Warning: There are mentions of spoilers! Read at your own risk. 

Photograph taken from Unsplash

One of my favorite reads this year was Sunrise on The Reaping by Suzanne Collins. Sitting in the last row of a plane for five hours was the perfect setting to binge-read this book. I grew up a die-hard of The Hunger Games series, so this was one of my most anticipated releases of the year. I even preordered the book the second it was announced, counting down the days until I could finally read Haymitch’s story. 

Once I finished reading, this book did not disappoint— it exceeded every expectation I had. It  was gut-wrenching, but also beautifully written. All the little details connected back to the original series in ways that brought everything full circle, especially the reasoning behind why Haymitch became an alcoholic. In the original books and movies, it was never explicitly stated why he drank so heavily. Most people assumed it was due to PTSD from the games, but the truth runs much deeper.  

Ironically, in the first chapter, Haymitch mentions that he works for a woman named Hattie, who brews liquor. She offers him a drink for his birthday, and he responds, “I don’t drink.” Even though he was surrounded by alcohol before the games, he never touched it. But after  returning home that Snow had murdered his entire family and his girlfriend, he felt hollow. He turned to alcohol to help him sleep and numb himself from the brutal reality he was forced to face. 

Haymitch’s games were among the most brutal ever had, with 48 tributes and only one survivor. He was unlucky from the start, chosen unfairly and then forced to witness the deaths of people who had become like family to him.  

By the end, everything comes together in a powerful circle. All the small details: the basement in District 11, Haymitch only drinking milk, Maysilee’s pin, they all click into place. I won’t spoil anything else, but one of the storylines that moved me most was discovering who his  mentors were. Beetee, Wiress and Mags guided him and in the original series, they were the very allies Katniss chose for the Quarter Quell.  That connection was incredibly meaningful. 

Finishing the book left me in a puddle of tears. I was trying to hide my sniffles from the people beside me. This was the first book in a long time to genuinely make me emotional. I’ve read so many books this year, but this one evoked such strong feelings that it easily became one of my top reads of the year.