Who is Lenore Dove’s Mother? Unlocking some Important “Grave” Clues in Sunrise

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR Sunrise on the Reaping.

For those of us hoping to learn more about the Covey, it is safe to say that we got much more than many of us expected in Collins’ latest Sunrise prequel. As Haymitch’s true love, we learn as early as page 7 that Lenore Dove is Covey, confirming earlier predictions that Collins is using “dove” as a color to indicate the second part of her Covey name. We are even given a dictionary definition of this ambiguous color, as “warm gray with a slight purlish or pinkish tint” (SOTR 7). And cutting to the chase for now, Collins further confirms (more like hits us on the head with a Maysilee slap) that Lenore Dove’s name song is owed to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven.” That’s another story to unpack later. For now, let’s consider what some clues at the beginning and end of the novel may indicate about the Covey family tree (accompanying post), as an answer to Lenore Dove’s lineage may provide further insights into Katniss’ own family.

Some readers already believe — quite logically, as Lenore Dove would have it — that her mother was Lucy Gray. Fans have pointed to clues found in Lenore Dove’s outfit near the beginning of the story to support this idea. Haymitch tells us how “her faded overalls and shirts concealed snips of color, a bright blue handkerchief peeking from her pocket, a raspberry ribbon stitched inside her cuff” (SOTR 7). The particular reference to raspberries seems to be serving as the leading evidence for this notion, which admittedly still may be true.

In the spirit of Collins’ intricate storytelling, however, there is more to consider that points us away from Lucy Gray. First, in Collins’ exclusive 13-page interview (not likely a coincidence) at the end of the Barnes & Noble special edition of Sunrise, she explains that Lenore Dove “romanticizes the Covey’s prewar days as itinerant musicians on the open road. She knows the losses that followed, the murdered parents and orphaned Covey children. And in particular, she’s haunted by the fate of Lucy Gray. She wears bright bits of Lucy Gray’s dress about her person and keeps her forbidden lyrics alive in private performances for Haymitch and Burdock.” In short, this explains the color references to Lucy Gray. Lenore is wearing surviving patches from Lucy Gray’s outfits.

And why would she be “haunted by the fate of Lucy Gray” if her uncles (Tam Amber and Clerk Carmine, as indicated in my District 12 Family Tree post) had likely told her by now that her real mother died in childbirth? (SOTR 8) This tells us (likely) that Lenore Dove is either in the dark about what happened to Lucy Gray, or — more likely — she is keeping it as a Covey secret. Just one instance of several has Haymitch telling us, “I brought our victor up with Lenore Dove a few times, but she never wanted to discuss her.” (45).

Adding another piece to the puzzle, Collins provides what I would interpret as more reliable clues to this mystery. First, Haymitch explains that they (Covey) “worked out a deal with the mayor, whose house boasts the only real piano in District 12.” Lenore Dove is a piano player (or on her own simplified “tune box,” an aging accordion likely handed down from the late Billy Taupe), which further sheds light on why Haymitch saw her fingers moving earlier, “pressing down imaginary keys” (8). This is likely a reference to ivory-colored piano keys and Maude Ivory. The second clue is even more overt, as Haymitch describes her as wearing a “faded green dress, an ivory ribbon tying back her hair” (9). Why ivory, of all colors?

These are classic Collins-style clues which are likely pointing us to Maude Ivory as the mother, who (sadly) died in childbirth. We do not know the father yet, as Lenore’s “pa’s always been something of a mystery” (8). Haymitch does insinuate that her father likely derived from the Chance family, as rumors abound. Incidentally this is a fun callback to the Covey song, “Nothing You Can Take From Me,” with the line, “You can take my pa, but his name’s a mystery.” This may remain the case for quite some time.

Beyond all this, additional clues are found closer to the end of Sunrise, as we make a solemn visit with Haymitch to the Covey’s small forest graveyard. There are three headstones, each carved with snippets of the poems for which the deceased were named. Maude Ivory’s grave is mentioned first, its inscription starting with “Lady…” (This is likely the originating connection to Prim’s goat Lady.) Here Collins confirms that Maude Ivory’s first name is indeed owed to the ballad “Maude Clare,” as several writers had presumed. More to the point, it is easier to miss another clue, found in the description of the gravestones themselves. Maude Ivory’s grave is marked by a “creamy white stone,” indicating her own color (371). Notably, there is no mention of its age or the condition of the marker. While “creamy white” may indicate the color ivory, it could further indicate the relative newness of the grave itself, perhaps only some 16 years ago (upon Lenore Dove’s birth).

But Maude Ivory’s grave is only part of this final clue. The puzzle seems to come together with Haymitch’s description of Lucy Gray’s marker, “On a mossy slab of slate” (371). This seems to indicate that her grave is older and has been subject to natural wear and weathering (although slate itself is a metamorphic rock which is one of the more durable stones out there, perhaps just as Lucy Gray’s ongoing mystery will be). We should further keep in mind that Lucy Gray might not actually be interred there, as the stone may have been simply placed as a memorial (see this insightful article from Screenrant for more on this topic). Taken together, we basically have a choice between two former Covey members who could be the mother of Lenore Dove, keeping in mind that Collins coded Barb Azure as LGBTQ+. (Sure, there are a myriad of ways that Barb Azure could be related, but I don’t like her odds…) While each clue on its own holds little weight, the collection of them together provides a reasonably clear path to Maude Ivory.