THE #1 SENSATION WITH OVER HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD IN FRANCE
French Riviera, winter 1992. On a freezing night, as her high school campus is engulfed by a snowstorm, 19-year-old Vinca Rockwell runs away with her philosophy teacher with whom she’s been having a secret affair.
No one will ever see her again.
French Riviera, spring 2017. Formerly inseparable, Fanny, Thomas and Maxime – Vinca’s best friends – have not spoken in twenty-five years. But when they receive a notice from their old school detailing the plans for a new gymnasium and inviting them to a class reunion, they know they must go back one more time.
Because there is a body buried in that building… …and they’re the ones who put it there.
My sincere apologies for how late I am sharing my review today, I had to take my daughter to A&E earlier, followed by a end of primary school get together with her class and have been without wifi until now.
It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Reunion by Guillaume Musso today. Many thanks to the author, W&N Ltd and Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
School reunions are the sort of events which are likely to engender anxious emotions in many people but Thomas, Maxime and Fanny have a good reason for fearing what may come to light when they meet up with old classmates and former teachers after twenty-five years. They know everybody will be discussing their friend, Vinca and wondering what happened to her and her lover, Alexis but they also know that the night the couple disappeared ended in tragedy and it looks as though a body which has laid, hidden for quarter of a century may soon be found.
I expected a book which would reveal some dark secrets but I had no idea just how many twists and turns would occur before the truth about Vinca and Alexis is finally revealed. The story switches between the present, where the now adult friends realise somebody else knows what they did and is set on a deadly course of revenge, and the past which shows what drove the teenagers to choose a course of action which has resulted in a shadow hanging over their lives for years.
The story is mostly told from Thomas' perspective with the occasional chapter showing the viewpoint of other characters. Contrary to my initial expectations, Thomas isn't a villain intent on escaping justice but a man weighed down by the guilt he has carried with him for years. The Reunion is as much about words left unsaid, the power of love and the danger of obsession as it is about any crime which may have occurred. In the years since Vinca's disappearance she has achieved an almost mythic status, with current and past pupils alike consumed by the mystery regarding the enigmatic young woman's fate.
Although mostly set in the resort city of Antibes, there is a rather intense, small town feel to The Reunion due to the intertwined relationships of several of the characters, most of whom have links to the Lycée International Saint-Exupéry. It means there is a fascinating juxtaposition between the close ties of friendship and shared experiences and the chilling sense of tension which arises amidst the old grudges and the lethal anger which has festered for so long.
The complex mystery, intriguing, often unreliable characters, beautiful Cote d'Azur setting and the shocking revelations which lead to a denouement I didn't expect at all meant that The Reunion ticked every box for me. I thought it was a fabulous read and an excellent translation from the original French by Frank Wynne. I highly recommend it.
The Reunion is published by W&N, purchasing links can be found here.
Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
Guillaume Musso is the #1 bestselling author in France, and his novels have been translated in forty languages and have sold over 33 million copies worldwide. He was born in Antibes, South of France, and currently lives in Paris.
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