Haymitch stole my heart

I finally got to reading Sunrise on the Reapring by Suzanne Collins, this year's Hunger Games book which is Haymitch's story and I will never be the same. Read my 5 glowing stars review.

Out: Everywhere

Young Haymitch is a far cry from his later grumpy, alcohol-loving self when he first mentored Katniss & Peeta. He begins more hopeful & caring, pure of heart, despite the circumstances, not as disillusioned yet. As things progress, he gets tougher, exhibits bravery, showcases his cleverness and becomes trouble personified. Just as much a rebel as Katniss. A rascal, as he calls himself in the book. If you thought you loved Haymitch before, wait till you read this.

Twenty somewhat pages in and already I have my hand on my chest, like I'm afraid my heart will jump out. That will happen many, many times. A grandeur of harrowing scenes. Suzanne Collins has never needed fanfare in her writing. It is effortless in its straightforwardness and moves us simply by the storytelling, events and emotions dripping in the brutal realism and soulful flavor of this world. We are gifted with a 1st person POV where we get the spirited Haymitch outlook on the world and we experience everything he does.

Even during the most intense scenes, even in all the excitement, you know exactly what is happening, a 360-degree view. There are scenes beyond gasp-worthy, embellished with the element of surprise and/or jaw-dropping reveals. I almost screamed at that WTF twist brought on by a despicable character. There is so much more than the games going on. Again, I have to applaud Collins for her masterful gift of weaving a tale. It is always interesting to see, in each book, at what point in their evolution the games are. Here, they are not the primitiveness of the 10th, closer to the fine-tuned 74th, but still a work in progress.

The little connections to other books, other characters, and appearances of younger versions of captivating personalities we know are wonderful and even though I want to holler them from the rooftops, I am not giving any away so you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was. So many heart-squeezing interactions to be enamored with. There are of course new characters, allies and enemies, to love and to hate. I automatically care for anyone from District 12, no matter what they are, and I admit I had a soft spot for Ampert from the very first moment he talked to Haymitch. Yes, there are opportunities to smile in this devastating situation. And fist-in-the-air cheering.

This thought-provoking book deals with oppression, greed, violence and social class. Propaganda and how it can make you believe the most idiotic, impossible things and misremember the logical ones. It shows us the crippling effect of fear, need and desperation. The ugliest facets of human nature, but also some of its best. The Hunger Games always remind us of the concern that the world may come to be like that, is on the way to something similar.

This is a tragic story of survival, of perseverance. How I cried with that gut-wrenching route to the finale. I think my soul hurt when I learned what the title meant. I was snot-crying by the epilogue and I loved every minute of it. I know he is not District 12, but can we have Finnick Odair's story of winning the Games next?