In the first two instalments of this Deep Dive Into Tropes series, I looked at why Getting Stranded and The Rich Family still hold so much appeal for readers even after decades of near-identical stories about them. But neither of these tropes can occur completely organically; first, you need a reason for them to be there.
Enter: The Big Reunion. Of course, not all strandees or well-to-do families are taking part in one, but there is some definite correlation between the three. Unlike the first two tropes, this is a bigger favourite amongst modern thrillers than within the classic crime era—although of course all mysteries rely to some extent on a collection of people with complex histories being cooped up in one place. Having said that, this murderous storyline has more than taken on a life (and death) of its own…
What Is It?
There are two main types of big reunion. The first involves a group of friends who met as teenagers gathering for the first time in years. In a haze of nostalgia, they all go off on holiday together to reminisce about their misspent youths and have some fun. Except, of course, it all goes wrong: by the end, secrets have been revealed, loyalties tested, and at least one person murdered.
As with most tropes, the reunited friends tend to fall into certain personality types. There is the quiet one who has found unexpected success; the wild child who peaked too soon and flew off the rails; the overprivileged posh boy who’s made a fortune; the overprivileged posh girl who has done nothing except marry rich. What’s more, if they are former university students, you can guarantee one fact above all else. There may be 166 universities in the UK, but in thriller-world there are only two: Oxford or Cambridge.
The second variety is slightly rarer, but broadly similar. In this case, a group of relatives are brought together again after a long period of estrangement. Unlike the former friends, though, there are usually specific reasons for their original falling out and for why they are reuniting. Both are guaranteed to provide plenty of drama—and at least one motive for murder.
How Does It Work?
If you’ve been keeping up with this series so far, you might be beginning to spot the overlap I mentioned at the start. Big reunions have to happen somewhere, and nine times out of ten this means an isolated location: a family mansion, perhaps, or a secluded holiday home. It doesn’t take long for it all to go wrong, and everyone to end up getting stranded. Alternatively, if you’re dealing with entitled Oxbridge students or some particularly well-off relations, you run into a new manifestation of the rich family trope.
But that’s not to say this set-up doesn’t have some of its own unique appeal. Perhaps the most attractive aspect for crime writers is the long gap between the characters’ backstories and the present day, which creates literally years of secrets and lies to sift through. This provides plenty of potential for dramatic reveals—and some useful red herrings. Maybe two of the characters had a secret affair at college; maybe a school friend is still holding onto an ancient grudge; maybe one cousin betrayed another, and they never found out until now. In amongst the hordes of accumulated lies, only one can prove to be the real motive.
The two timeframes also allow the author to delve more deeply into different aspects of their characters’ personalities. Adolescence is often thought of as the time when emotions run highest and betrayals hurt the most, making past crimes of passion (hypothetically) more plausible. But on the flip side, it is adults who have the most to lose if their youthful misdemeanours are exposed. Writers can take full advantage of both stages to question how much we really change as we supposedly grow up, and how little it takes to push us back into our old ways.
The Best of the Best
With this particular trope splitting into two sub-categories, it seems only fair to provide two of the best examples of each to get started with.
- Holly Watt, The Last Truths We Told: Nine friends who met at (ahem) Cambridge reunite in a country house to revisit the predictions they made about each other two decades ago—except for one, who tragically died just a few months before. But was her death really an accident? Of course not…
- Allie Reynolds, Shiver: Unusually, Reynolds’ friendship group didn’t meet at school or university, but whilst participating in national snowboarding championships. Anonymously invited to a reunion atop a mountain, they soon realise that someone knows the truth behind fellow competitor Saskia’s death ten years ago—and one of them must pay the price.
- Alice Feeney, Daisy Darker: Over in the world of family reunions, the dysfunctional Darkers gather at their grandmother’s home, which just happens to be on an island regularly cut off by the tides. Obviously, they’re all keeping secrets from each other—but don’t rule out Feeney withholding some pretty crucial information herself.
- Benjamin Stevenson, Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone: If this title seems to give away some crucial plot points, that’s sort of the idea. The Cunninghams gather at a ski resort after one of their number is released from prison. Narrator Ernest promises to be completely honest, allowing Stevenson to experiment with and poke fun at just how formulaic crime fiction seems to be (who knew?).
Love crime fiction? This is the third of a four-part series exploring the tropes which keep thrillers thrilling. Take a look back at the previous instalments on Getting Stranded and The Rich Family, and watch out for next week’s deep dive into possibly the biggest mystery trope of all: Secrets From The Past…
Words by Eleanor Harvey
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