Reunion is a reminder of something I recently discovered during a trip back to my home town, for my twenty-year high school reunion. In essence, they say you can never go “home” again, but really, you can. The question is, do you really want to?
Three women, who have been friends since high school, arrange to meet up and have an impromptu reunion. Faith, married to her high school sweetheart, is the more practical one, steering clear of frivolity and anything even remotely related to indulgence. She simply can’t afford it, anyway. Holly is married to a man who pampers her monetarily, yet hasn’t given her the love or attention she craves in many years. Charlotte is the direct one, brooding and serious. That explains her penchant for the arts. Even though the three of them live such different lives, they’re still the best of friends, making time for one another when they’re able. Their relationship spans decades.
New to the mix is a mutual friend of theirs from those turbulent high school days; Sebastian. One woman had an insane crush on him. Another knows what’s it’s like to engage in an affair with him, and the other has no clue what she’s in for when he’s invited along on their reunion. Not to mention the layers of drama and secrets that everyone has managed to keep from seeing the light of day. That is, until they get together.
I appreciated the simplistic approach that Beth Brophy took with this novel, how each character flowed beautifully into the next. It was easy to understand the relationships between everyone, and the various motives that make each person who they are. It’s also easy to see how these friendships have lasted as long as they have, which makes it harder for the reader to deal with the fact that it may very well unravel, given how delicate the line is between serenity and disaster.
As with the people I reunited with at my own reunion, at the core of the characters is who they’ve always been, from adolescence and beyond. People may change, but not always. Or, you discover how much people can evolve, even when you least expect them to. It’s that up in the air scenario that keeps life interesting, and I found that in spades with Reunion.
Thanks to PR Collaborative for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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1 comment:
This book sounds really good. I found a couple old friends through Facebook and met up with them. They changed so much that we just didn't have anything in common anymore. One decided she wanted to party and get drunk all the time (I did that when i was younger and don't want to be around it at my age) and the other has so much money that I wasn't worthy of her time being someone who struggles to pay the bills.
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