19 Moments From “The Hunger Games” Trilogy That I’m Viewing In A Completely Different Light After Reading The New Book, “Sunrise On The Reaping”

If you’re a fan of The Hunger Games, you’re probably well aware by now that a couple of weeks ago, author Suzanne Collins released the series’ second prequel novel, Sunrise on the Reaping.

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And if you’re anything like me, you pretty much read the entire thing in one sitting.

Set 24 years before the first novel, Sunrise on the Reaping gives us the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, winner of the 50th Hunger Games (aka the Second Quarter Quell), who we know as the mentor of protagonists Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

As I was reading SOTR, I found myself thinking back to so many moments from the Hunger Games trilogy — the films and the books — that felt far more significant in light of the new details provided in the book. So, naturally, I decided to round everything up. Disclaimer: The Hunger Games wasn’t made with SOTR in mind, so these are just things I (and other THG fans) have noticed and pieced together. But with that said, let’s dive in:

1. In SOTR, we learn that Katniss’s iconic mockingjay pin once belonged to Maysilee Donner, one of District 12’s female tributes from the 50th Hunger Games. Maysilee’s pin eventually made its way to her niece Madge — and, as we know, it ends up being given to Katniss at the start of the first movie.

2. Haymitch calls Katniss “sweetheart” because she reminds him of his fellow District 12 tribute Louella McCoy, whom he endearingly calls “sweetheart” after forming a heartwarming bond with her. This link is directly referenced in the epilogue of SOTR, with Haymitch saying of Katniss, “Tough and smart, her hair in two braids then, reminding me for all the world of Louella McCoy, my sweetheart of old. And after she volunteered for the games, that nickname couldn’t help but slip out.”

3. Haymitch’s famous advice to Katniss on getting people to like her in order to get sponsors is directly based on his own experience; he essentially had to put on a performance in order to get help from members of the Capitol.

4. Similarly, in Catching Fire, Haymitch warns Katniss and Peeta not to do the games alone. We learn in SOTR that he encouraged his fellow District 12 tributes to join Ampert’s Newcomers’ Alliance in a bid to keep them as protected as possible.

5. And, Haymitch’s advice to Katniss just before she enters the arena is based on how Wiress won her games: “Turn, run, find high ground, look for water.” We learn in SOTR that Wiress didn't just outsmart the Gamemakers, but she isolated herself from her competition by immediately avoiding the central Cornucopia and finding a “blind spot” away from the other tributes.

6. When President Snow tells Seneca Crane that “a spark is fine, so long as it’s contained,” he might be referencing the "spark" of rebellion that started all those years ago amid Haymitch’s games.

7. This one might be a reach, but during the first chariot scene in THG, the cameras pan to Haymitch looking downwards in the audience while everyone around him cheers, and then over to Snow — and I couldn’t help but think about Louella’s death at the chariot show ahead of Haymitch’s games.

8. At the end of the first movie, Haymitch tells Katniss that the Capitol doesn’t take her showing them up lightly. We always knew that this was based on his own experience, but the extra details we have now — including the way Snow orchestrated his loved ones’ deaths — make this line sting just a little more.

9. In Catching Fire, Haymitch tells Katniss that Mags, who volunteered to participate in the 75th Hunger Games in Annie Cresta’s place, is “actually a really lovely woman.” In SOTR, we learn that Mags was Haymitch’s mentor when he competed in the games, and she was incredibly supportive — from consoling him and letting him cry on her shoulder to repeatedly using her power to send him sponsors.

10. Plutarch Heavensbee tells Katniss in CF, “Maybe it was you who inspired me to come back,” which feels wildly significant after learning just how long he’s been plotting to take Snow down.

11. There are also several quotes from CF that strongly echo the ones from SOTR. At one point, Haymitch tells Katniss (and Peeta), “This trip doesn’t end when you get back home. You never get off this train,” referring to their “never-ending” Victory Tour. Later on, he says, “Nobody ever wins the games. Period. There are survivors. There's no winners.” In SOTR, Haymitch says, “We never really recover,” and, “These games will have no victor.”

12. While giving Katniss and Peeta the never-ending-victory-tour-talk, Haymitch takes them up to an attic in District 11. In SOTR, we learn that Plutarch, of all people, took Haymitch into this very same building during his Victory Tour and revealed that it was the one place in the entire justice building that wasn't bugged.

13. Wiress, Beetee, and Mags all being part of the 75th Hunger Games after helping in the rebel plot of SOTR feels like no coincidence to me — especially given that the Third Quarter Quell was centred around punishing the existing victors and instilling fear in anyone thinking about starting a rebellion.

14. In Mockingjay, Haymitch warns that Katniss “cannot be coached” into becoming a symbol for the Rebellion — and then he says, “Trust me, I know.” This is very likely a reference to his own previous struggle with getting Katniss to cooperate, but after reading SOTR, I cannot help but imagine that it is a nod to his own history.

15. Haymitch reveals what happened to his family and his lover, Lenore Dove, in Mockingjay, which prompts Katniss to tell him that he has her and Peeta now. In the book, Haymitch hardly acknowledges Katniss’s comment — which, we learn in SOTR, is because he feared letting them in after losing everyone he loved.

16. There's also a moment in Mockingjay where Haymitch avoids visiting the ruins of District 12, which is all the more heartbreaking after reading SOTR.

18. In SOTR, Beetee helps Haymitch build a bomb while requesting that he protect his son, Ampert, who sadly dies in the arena. In Mockingjay, Beetee eventually ends up helping Gale make deadly military weapons — some of which end up killing innocent civilians, like Prim. A very tragic full-circle moment.

19. And finally, at the end of Mockingjay, Katniss casually mentions that Haymitch "raises geese." We learn in the epilogue of SOTR that Katniss actually gifted Haymitch a bunch of goose eggs after he finally opened up to her about Lenore Dove, who loved and looked after a flock of geese.

I could probably go on forever, but these are the initial links that sprung to mind. Can you think of any others? Feel free to share in the comments below.