Writer’s note: the following content contains spoilers for the novel “Sunrise on the Reaping.”
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is the second most popular book published in 2025 so far, according to goodreads.com. Suzanne Collins, the author of the widely known series “The Hunger Games,” has recently started writing books on the past Hunger Games and major events giving fans even more background to many of the characters. “Sunrise on the Reaping” explores the background story of Haymitch Abernathy, and the 50th Annual Hunger Games.
Throughout the book readers learn much more about the past of Abernathy. He was born on July 4, the annual day of the reaping for the Hunger Games. He never celebrated his birthday as his mother thought it was not appropriate since that was the day 24 teens would be chosen for their death. I find it so heartbreaking that the capital has these districts so poor and hopeless that even celebrating a birthday cannot be done on certain days.
The book explores much more about the Coveys as well. The Coveys are a group that used to travel and perform music before the districts rebelled against the capital. In this book we learned a little about the horrors of what happened to some of the Coveys as the adults were all killed after the rebellion.
Abernathy isn’t originally selected for the games but in an attempt to protect his love, Lenore Dove, a Covey girl, he was put in the place of Woodbine Chance. Chance was shot by peacekeepers and the capital needed another tribute for the games. They picked Abernathy as he showed rebellion trying to protect Dove.
The idea that Abernathy wasn’t even supposed to be in the games but was because of someone’s weakness and fear really helps to express President Snow’s quote from the Hunger Games, “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” With Chance clearly not having hope in his chance of winning he took the easy way out of the Hunger games. However when Abernathy stayed to protect Dove this showed that his hope for her safety was stronger than his fear of the games.
The 50th annual hunger games alone was different from many of the other games as it was the second quarter quell. To keep the games rich and fulfilling for the horrific people of the capital there would be 48 tributes chosen from the 12 districts. Two boys and two girls from each district would be sent to a new arena. The idea of basically having a double hunger games with only one winner still made me feel sick to my stomach.
The game arena was described as “the most breathtaking place imaginable” in Abernathy’s eyes. The area was shaped like an oval, different from the normal circular shape. One side had a breathtaking snowy mountain, and the other a dense forest. Flowers were everywhere, and the cornucopia was golden.
Despite the fact the arena looked beautiful, almost everything was poisonous. All of the water sources were contaminated and the only food not poisoned was found in the cornucopia. And the beautiful snowy mountain erupted causing the death of many tributes.
Abernathy won the games through manipulation, and keeping what his mentors said in training in mind. He tricked the final tribute to throw an axe at the arena’s force field. In the end that caused the axe to shoot back at her. The sound of the final cannon crowned Abernathy as the winner of the second quarter quell.
Once returning home, he was met with horror within the first few weeks of coming back. The capital saw his act of using the force field an act of defiance. The capital has his mother, younger brother Sid and his love, Dove, killed.
The capital’s message was loud and clear to Abernathy, he might have won the games but he lost everything in the process of it.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” really made it clear that all good things come with a cost, and sometimes the cost is worse than the reward.
The book was filled with tragedy and drama, and overall one of the most heartbreaking books I’ve read. I loved every second of all the little Easter eggs throughout. This book left readers understanding why Abernathy was so addicted to drinking in The Hunger Games series, as it was his way to cope with all the trauma the capital put him through. The book also added a much needed background on the 50th game.
