After wondering how a school shooting will effect a young person over the course of their life, the seeds or Reunion were planted.
"Reunion is labeled as a ‘Supernatural Thriller” and in a way, it is. In another, more important way, it’s a study of the human condition—how we heal, how we cope with trauma, and how we interact with one another in the wake of tragedy.
I found Bennington’s characterization solid, his research on the well-documented world of PTSD accurate and convincing (I have degrees in psychology). I also found his inclusion of the supernatural, charming and inspired. The way the narrative is written, feels like a film script in the sense that the prose blends so well with the action and the internal dialog that you read without focusing on each word, or sentence. It’s the best kind of thriller.
Out of necessity, there is a good bit of telling in this book. Bennington couldn’t ‘show’ you the past of each character and not wind up with a boring doorstop. But, he takes that rule, bends it, and makes it work for his purposes. It’s a perfect example of why that rule, show don’t tell, isn’t appropriate for every novel. To make up for this, when he does ‘show’ he SHOWS. The descriptions were vivid and pulled the narrative forward, added to the characters’ depth, and made Reunion an overall great read."