The Reunion
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley July 22, 2022
Author Polly Phillips
Distributor: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 9781471195419
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Release Date: July 2022
Website: https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk
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Reunions are something looked forward to with equal parts dread, curiosity and happiness but in Emily Toller’s world, a reunion at her old University, Cambridge places her in a quandary. Husband Nick is keen to go, her not so, but after some though she sees it as a way to close off a time in her life that ended in shame and utter embarrassment.
The Reunion is a tense, well-crafted and plotted thriller that has a list of protagonists, all interesting, all who have made a success of their lives, all but one: Emily.
Despite her happy marriage, two beautiful children and a loving husband, she is not a happy lady. The humiliating finale to what should have been a stellar life as lawyer still hurts deeply, as does the sad realisation that the people she once knew, considered as close friends, where involved in her downfall.
Her sister Helen, a journalist of merit, always said she needed to get to the bottom of what happened, supported her during the bad times but died before the sad and sorry mess had been finalised. Perhaps now was the time for a little or a lot of well plotted revenge. That is until it all goes horribly wrong, once again.
Revenge is a dish best served cold is an old saying but even cold, it has the power to explode and reform as the truth, which turns out to be devastating, as Emily discovers almost far too late.
Flipping between the past and the present, the first chapters set the scene well, if somewhat slowly, allowing time to become familiar with who’s who, which as the story unfolds is very important, as each of the ‘friends and lovers’ of the past appear to have had a part in Emily’s downfall.
It kicks into a taut page turner about half way through which makes putting it down a challenge, as there is a desperate need to see what happens next.
The Reunion is a terrific psychological thriller that many will be able to easily relate to, as at one time or another in life, so many of these people are to be met which adds a level of familiarity to the story.