Name: Reunion
ISBN: 9780374525156

Fred Uhlman

"The year is 1932. Hans Schwartz is Jewish, the son of a Stuttgart doctor who asserts that the rise of the Nazis is a 'temporary illness, something like the measles which will pass off as soon as the economic situation improves.' The Holocaust would be unthinkable for these characters, but of course it looms over the story: Hans's friend, the young Count Konradin von Hohenfels, has a mother who keeps a portrait of Hitler on her dresser. The two boys share their most private thoughts and trips to the countryside of southwest Germany, discuss poetry and the past and present of their country, and argue the existence of a benevolent God. The eventual disintegration of this cherished relationship foreshadows the fate of Europe's Jews ... Years later, exiled in America, Hans comes upon a revelation about von Hohenfels which provides a stunning denoument"--Page 4 of cover.

A Novella

Reunion

Selected as a Book of the Year 2016 in the Guardian Reunion is a little-known but perfect novel with fans including Ian McEwan, John Boyne, Deborah Moggach, David Nicholls, Meg Rosoff and Sarah Perry. On a grey afternoon in 1932, a Stuttgart classroom is stirred by the arrival of a newcomer. Middle-class Hans is intrigued by the aristocratic new boy, Konradin, and before long they become best friends. It’s a friendship of the greatest kind, of shared interests and long conversations, of hikes in the German hills and growing up together. But the boys live in a changing Germany. Powerful, delicate and daring, Reunion is a story of the fragility, and strength, of the bonds between friends. 'Exquisite' Guardian 'I loved Reunion and found it very moving' John Boyne WITH AN AFTERWORD BY RACHEL SEIFFERT

** spoiler alert **
           What a tiny masterpiece! I devoured this book in a lazy afternoon, unable to put it down before I was done with it. I believe it's one of those books you will think about, if not brood, for weeks even after finishing it. The transition from the romantic and simple Germany seen through the eyes of two teenagers to the arrival of the horrid shadow of nazism was wonderfully written. There are some passages I will never forget, such as when Hans's father is confronted by the zionist and says: "I know my Germany. This is a temporary illness [...] Do you really believe that the compatriots of Goethe and Schiller, Kant and Beethoven will fall for this rubbish?" I had to re-read this speech three times before allowing myself a bitter smile, although I was feeling indescribably sad. And the final letter from Konradin, in which we could see how hopeful (and deluded) he was, dreaming of things that we know never were. I'm glad he had the chance to redeem himself, though, so that we can keep thinking of him as the gentle and faithful youth that Hans had once befriended. 
The writing style was neat, smooth and had some artistry and picturesqueness to it. 5/5 stars

Chii

A true masterpiece in terms of literary writing. The long story is compressed into a novella's length so some parts seem too abrupt. A little vexed by some German thrown in here and there. Personally, I don't like Hans - he's a bit too selfish and tend to overreact. But as I said, Fred Uhlman is such a wizard of words. His writing hooks me from the beginning til the very end. Even if you don't like the plot or the characters, you gotta love his writing.

Jony Ringo

FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF STONER AND REVOLUTIONARY ROAD COMES REUNION Reunion is a little-known novel. But it is also a universal story of friendship. It is a book of great power, waiting to be discovered. On a grey afternoon in 1932, a Stuttgart classroom is stirred by the arrival of a newcomer. Middle-class Hans is intrigued by the aristocratic new boy, Konradin, and before long they become best friends. It s a friendship of the greatest kind, of shared interests and long conversations, of hikes in the German hills and growing up together. But the boys live in a changing Germany. Powerful, delicate and daring, Reunion is a story of the fragility, and strength, of the bonds between friends. 'Exquisite' Guardian 'I loved Reunion and found it very moving' John Boyne WITH AN AFTERWORD BY RACHEL SEIFFERT "

Reunion A Novella

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