Well fuck. That was so much more devastating than I expected. It’s been forever since I read the original trilogy but I rewatched the movies recently – which means I likely missed some details that didn’t quite make it into the movies (especially around Maysilee’s family and Merrilee). At least, I could truly appreciate appearances of the younger versions of some of the characters from Catching Fire who appeared as mentors (and the amount of tragic backstory we learned about some of them was wrecking).
Timeline-wise, the second Quarter Quell is much closer to the original Hunger Games trilogy than it is to the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes so for the most part, there aren’t too many characters from the previous prequel, just family names. However, if anyone is in the fence like about whether or not to finally read that one, I think it added more depth to Haymitch’s love, Lenore Dove. Collins does still explain enough in this novel to give context even for readers that haven’t read it, yet, though if they want to skip straight to Sunrise on the Reaping.
I think this one, more than any of the other novels, emphasizes all the tributes as individuals – given that there are 48 this year, that might seem counterintuitive but with the way the tributes interact and talk alliances, there is a focus on making them stand out, whether as individuals or at least as a group presenting their district. I know some of this is that Collins has been returning to this world to reemphasize the message but someone on Reddit or Goodreads also pointed out that it was a good way to distinguish between the narrators – Katniss didn’t want to connect with people she would be forced to compete with; her strongest focus was her sister. Haymitch, on the other hand, is someone who is very aware of what is going on around him and the people.
While all the readers know going in that Haymitch’s games scarred him, turning him into the isolated town drunk, I think it was easy to think that “of course anyone who has survived that is going to be traumatized, especially since his year had twice the number of tributes.” But Collins adds so much more to his story, showing exactly why he is the man he is 24 years later. Haymitch at the beginning of this story has friendships, family, a girl he loves and is part of his community. When he is in the Capitol, he connects with many of the children from the poorer and disadvantaged districts like 12, the non-careers, and he also develops strong connections with his fellow District 12 tributes, moving past the preconceptions he had before. This novel explains why a teenage boy, who was empathetic and had strong social connections, would cut himself off so utterly, and it’s more than simply being in the games and then having to mentor children to their death for 23 years.
Throughout the novel, Haymitch keeps going back to something his father told a District 12 tribute years before, “Don’t let them use you. Don’t let them paint their posters with your blood. Not if you can help it.” Haymitch is aware of the media manipulation, and tries to find ways to make a statement that will be heard but from the earliest moments he is pulled into this, he is watching the Capitol create their own narrative and censor the truth. And yet even within this, after 50 years of control, it shows that the Capitol still has to manipulate things to maintain the illusion of perfect control, and keep its iron grip.
Since it’s been so long since the original trilogy, I don’t recall whether Collins used quotations of songs and poems quite so extensively or if that is something she started with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This novel does call back to some of the songs from previous novels but uses it more sparingly than Ballad; she also extensively quotes The Raven since it’s the poem that inspired Lenore’s name.
Intermixed with Collins’s message about power are absolutely devastating scenes of loss. It brought me to tears once or twice (and while I have softened over the years, I’m still not a big cryer), and am sure it will sit with me for a while.