We know the story of Katniss Everdeen’s time in the arena. Now, Suzanne Collins is telling the tale of how Katniss’ mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, survived the Hunger Games — more than 20 years before Katniss’ story begins.
In “Sunrise on the Reaping,” the fifth book in the “Hunger Games” franchise, Collins chronicles the events of the 50th Hunger Games. The annual event sees children from the districts in the dystopian country of Panem fight to the death as entertainment for its Capitol — a punishment for a decades-old rebellion.
The first “Hunger Games” book, which was published in 2008, follows the events of the 74th Hunger Games, when 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen from District 12 famously volunteered as tribute in her sister’s place. The next two books in the series saw her become a reluctant leader of a districtwide rebellion against the Capitol and face off against Panem’s dictatorial president, Coriolanus Snow.
Collins returned to Panem in 2020 with the book “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which tells Snow’s villain origin story against the backdrop of the 10th annual Hunger Games. It details how he turned the Games into a spectacle while mentoring District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird.
“Sunrise on the Reaping,” out March 18, is Collins’ second spinoff book of the “Hunger Games” trilogy.
Here’s what to remember before returning to the world of Panem.
Who is Haymitch Abernathy?
Haymitch Abernathy is introduced in the first “Hunger Games” book as the drunken mentor of Katniss and her male tribute counterpart, Peeta Mellark. As the only surviving victor from District 12, Haymitch is tasked with preparing Katniss and Peeta for the Games.
In the first book, he travels with them to the Capitol, but he spends most of his time drinking. After Katniss fights back against his perceived indifference, he realizes her potential to succeed in the Games, and he helps Katniss and Peeta strategize.
During the Games, he’s also responsible for sending resources, including water and medicine, bought by sponsors to his tributes in the arena.
While mentoring Katniss and Peeta, he gradually reveals things about his own traumatic experience in the 50th Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
What is a Quarter Quell?
A Quarter Quell is a special version of the Hunger Games that comes around every 25 years. Each Quarter Quell brings a different twist. For Haymitch’s Games, there were double the amount of tributes, making him one of four tributes reaped from District 12.
The second “Hunger Games” book, “Catching Fire,” follows the third Quarter Quell, or the 75th Hunger Games. This time around, tributes were reaped from the pool of surviving victors. For District 12, that pool consists of Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch, guaranteeing the trilogy’s heroine would go back into the arena. While Haymitch was named the male tribute by the luck of the draw, Peeta immediately volunteers to take his place.
During “Catching Fire,” Haymitch again serves as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor. But in the background, he also coordinates with District 13’s underground resistance effort and undercover rebel Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee to rescue tributes from the arena.
At the end of the book, Katniss finally learns of the conspiracy to start a second rebellion from Haymitch. In “Mockingjay,” he serves as one of the rebellion’s leaders, providing unconditional support to Katniss as conflict between her and District 13’s President Coin emerges.
What happened during the 50th Hunger Games?
Well, we’re about to find out.
The book’s synopsis teases what’s ahead for Haymitch.
“Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances,” it reads. “All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight … and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.”
Notably, the first three books allude to significant moments from Haymitch’s time in the arena. In “Catching Fire,” Katniss and Peeta even watch tape from the 50th Hunger Games to prepare for the Third Quarter Quell.
We learn that one of the female tributes from District 12 was a girl named Maysilee Donner, and she and Haymitch form an alliance at some point in the Games.
Haymitch spends much of the Games exploring the edge of the arena, trying to see what lies at the end of it. When he finally reaches the edge, he finds a force field. That force field becomes his saving grace. He ultimately wins the Games after the only other remaining tribute throws an ax toward him and the edge of the arena — only for the weapon to rebound and kill her.
After his time in the arena, we know his family and girlfriend were murdered by President Snow for his perceived defiance. He turned to alcohol to cope with the trauma and the consistent loss of the tributes he mentored in the Games until Katniss and Peeta’s turn.
