HazelWongno1fan

I think a lot of authors feel the need to have the romance subplots in their books be this grand 'once in a life time' kinda love and I just don't think that's realistic for teenagers, esp Haymitch and Lenore Dove. For one, we don't actually know anything about how they fell in love- only how they met- and we actively see her not trust him with the rebellious/illegal part of her life (even though he's stated to have come from a family with that background).

We know why he likes her (she's pretty and sings and speaks her mind), but why does she like him? I wouldn't have as much of a problem with this simplistic dynamic if it's simplicity had been purposeful but that's just not the case- in the book they're in love, always have, always will be. No perspective/value-based disagreements to be seen.

With Peeta and Katniss it was beautiful to read about them falling in love over the course of the og trilogy because it felt like naturally shifting ebbs and flows in how they viewed each other as people, not just as love interests. It's the reason I think they're one of the best/if not the best example of a romantic subplot in YA fiction.

I'm sure this is an unpopular opinion but I think it would have been way more tragic if Haymitch's 'girl' had just been a regular high school girlfriend whose death haunts him not because he's so madly in love with her but because she was an innocent person. An innocent person who could have gone on to find real genuine love and a life of her own but was killed because of him. A character doesn't have to mourn a person they were romantically involved with for the sole reason that their love was quote unquote 'everlasting'. That sort of love is only created over time and through mutually experienced hardship- something these two characters have not gone through together.

To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of his girlfriend being Covey either but a lot of other people have posted about why they don't like that so I thought I'd share this opinion instead cause I haven't seen anyone else bring it up. I'm not saying that I totally hate their dynamic, I just mourn what could have been an incredibly complex relationship and experience with grief.