It's time for the sun to set on the Capitol and the Districts.
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| B&N The book jacket for the new Hunger Games book. |
Suzanne Collins dropped her newest addition to The Hunger Games universe one week ago. Sunrise on the Reaping was released amid major enthusiasm and excitement from the thousands of people who were entranced with Katniss and Peeta over ten years ago.
This story, while set in the alluringly twisted world of the Capitol, District 12, and the nightmare-inducing arena, takes place 25 years earlier than the original trilogy. This book highlights the snarky, blonde-haired victor of the Quarter Quell: Haymitch Abernathy. However, Collins gives her readers a Haymitch before he became the snarly, alcoholic mentor we know and love.
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IMDB Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy. |
It could be that I just have Woody Harrelson's cinematic portrayal of Haymitch stuck in my head, but the "Haymitch" of this book is nothing like I could imagine. Since he is my favorite character, I was
disappointed when I was reading the book and couldn't picture the character I had grown up with?
To set the scene, let me describe how excited I was for this book. Ever since Collins stated that she was writing a book about the games that Haymitch was crowned victor in, I counted down the days until I could get my hands on it. To say my expectations were high would be an understatement. However, based on her other four books, I would say my expectations were at a reasonable level according to the circumstances. I hungrily (get it?) hunted down the book, and then proceeded to spend the next 36 hours putting off all responsibilities, instead choosing to hunker down and read.
Right away, something felt off. The voice of Haymitch wasn't what I had envisioned, the writing seemed juvenile, and don't even get me started on the dialogue between characters.
It lacked the subtle artistry of the previous books, with everything seeming so forced.
This is not saying I despised the book, as there were definitely aspects that I enjoyed. The mutation and cloning of Louella's character was dark and a great depiction of the cruelty of the Capitol. The fate that awaited Lorena (I won't spoil it even though fans can most likely deduce what happens) was a perfect example of the sadistic, twisted nature of President Snow. Finally, the flames that licked the sky of District 12 when Haymitch returned home as victor did indeed almost bring me to tears.
Clearly, Collins is a good writer with irrevocably interesting ideas that tend to mirror present-day political issues. However, unlike her past books, the political commentary in Sunrise on the Reaping was quite the opposite of subtle. It was as if reading between the lines didn't exist.
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IMDB Author Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games. |
With a movie adaptation on the horizon, I wonder if Collins was almost forced to write this book. Aspects of the plot seemed like an afterthought, clearly referencing past books without allowing for the readers to connect the dots themselves. While clearly many people are raving about it, I believe they are raving more so about the release of a new book, not the quality of the book itself.
Maybe I had my expectations too high. Maybe I should have taken the book with a grain of salt. Maybe I should give Suzanne Collins some grace. What I do know is that it is time for the sun to set on the era of The Hunger Games, and to leave its memory perfectly embalmed with the original trilogy.
