Author: Bronwyn Rivers
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Reviewer: Lidia Kathrine
The Reunion is a fantastic debut novel by Bronwen Rivers.
Set against the backdrop of the harsh Australian environment, Rivers explores the depths people will go to in order to cover up the secrets of their past which she is able to juxtapose with the lengths someone will go to uncover the truth. The Reunion begins with Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack being invited back to the homestead of the Fletchers, by Ed’s mother Martha, to commemorate the ten years since Ed died during a hike with his school friends when celebrating the end of Year 12. And from the very opening pages it’s clear to the readers that the five surviving hikers from that fateful walk know more about what happened to Ed than they’ve ever led on. By interspersing the narrative between the present and the past, and dictating the narrative from the perspectives of Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Jack, Laura, Martha, and even Ed, Rivers is able to set up a heart stopping narrative that will literally have the readers on edge.
It is very clear that Hugh, Charlotte. Alex, Jack and Laura have been severely impacted by the events of ten years ago, as we meet the characters at various crossroads in their life. However, it is Laura who is the driving force amongst the surviving group of friends that want to tell Martha the truth about what led to Ed’s death, and the secret that they have all kept about what occurred on that day. However, she is met with huge resistance, and ultimately, they decide not to tell Martha what really happened. However, as a consequence of their continued lies, Martha sets out to extract from the five friends the truth about what happened to her son. And over the course of a day and night the five friends find themselves experiencing what Ed would have experienced out in the bush, and long buried secrets about themselves are revealed. Ultimately, they decide to tell Martha the truth about what happened to Ed, however, once again, one of them is hiding a secret from the rest of the group about what truly occurred on that day and their role in Ed’s death. It’s not until the closing pages of The Reunion that Rivers reveals to the reader exactly what happened to Ed and who is responsible.
The Reunion is about friendship, the connection between mother and child, and the lengths and depths someone will go to protect their secret and hide their true identity from not only themselves, but those closest to them. Through Martha, Rivers really captures the way in which the loss of a child can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on a parent, which is captured by Rivers through the decay and rundown nature of the Fletcher homestead, juxtaposed with what it was like on the day that the six friends went on their hike. Similarly, whilst Ed throughout the majority of the narrative is depicted as someone that everyone loved, that was popular and kind-hearted, when their deepest and darkest secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that Ed was perhaps not as saintly as everyone had remembered him to be.
A truly captivating and spellbinding read.
Publishers blurb
The Dry meets The Hunting Party in this tense, atmospheric debut thriller set in the deadly heat of the Australian bush.