Reunion by Fred Uhlman is a small book—depending on the edition, just over ninety pages long. It tells the story of a friendship between two young boys, Konrad and Hans, growing up in Germany in the 1930s, where the political landscape was changing drastically. Hans was born into an assimilated Jewish family.
Although the friendship between these two young men forms the foundation of the story, the themes it explores are incredibly diverse and abundant. These include: the rise of anti-Semitism and its social acceptance; different attitudes towards “the other,” such as hatred and indifference; the perception of “the other”; the question of responsibility for the actions of members of the group one is deemed to belong to; the importance of learning about the past—and, at the same time, what kind of history is passed on; the importance of not imposing one’s ideas, religious beliefs, or identity on others; the tension between authority and cultural norms; our relationship with the suffering of “the other”; the meaning of “home,” “country,” “belonging,” and mixed background; the plurality of identities and its importance not only at the individual level but also at the level of community; and finally, the importance of storytelling as a way to humanise—or re-humanise—“the other.” I will explore some of these topics below.
One of the main themes in Reunion is the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany during the 1930s. A seemingly “cultured” society ignored the growing racism and discrimination. Violent acts, although initially few in number, became normalised by members of society. There is a mention of the beating of a Jewish man, and then the narrator reflects on this normalisation as follows:
“But life in general went on as usual. (…) People talked about where they were going for their summer holidays. There seemed to be nothing to worry about. (…) We thought the most urgent thing was to learn how to make the best use of life, (…) discovering what purpose, if any, life had and what the human condition would be in this frightening and immeasurable cosmos. These were questions of real and eternal significance, far more important than the existence of such ephemeral and ridiculous figures as Hitler and Mussolini.”
(Uhlman, F. Reunion, 2015, Penguin Random House, pp. 24–25)
Largely, there was little interest in politics. Political changes did not play any significant role in conversations about the human condition, as shown in the quotation above. Hans’s father assumed that Hitler was only a temporary illness. In his view, it was impossible that in the country of Beethoven, Schiller, and Kant, people would fall for such a narrative.
Another recurring theme concerns reflections on the meaning of “my country” and “my home.” This is exemplified in the narrator’s questioning of what it means “to belong,” and how long one has to live within a given community or country “to truly belong” when one’s status is questioned because of one’s background. Hans’s mother’s rational attitude towards her homeland, Germany, is shown in the following words: “It did not enter her mind that any sane human being could question her right to live in this country.” As we know from history, this view was not shared by most of her countrymen.
Through the characters of Konrad’s parents, Uhlman shows two different attitudes towards “the other.” Konrad’s parents, though privileged and interested in the arts and culture, were not immune to hatred and racism. Konrad’s mother was openly anti-Semitic, while his father’s attitude was one of indifference—he did not oppose his wife’s views for the sake of his love for her.
One of the questions posed in Reunion relates to empathy: what makes a person look at the surrounding reality from the point of view of “the other”? Is it education, upbringing, the social fabric one exists in, or one’s understanding of authority? Undoubtedly, all these factors shape a person’s thinking and value system.
The perception of “the other” is one of the most important subjects in the book, as Hans expresses after learning about the death of the neighbour’s children:
“I have read of one million drowned people by the Yellow River, a million soldiers dying in Verdun. But they were abstractions—numbers, statistics, information. One would not suffer for a million. But the children I knew—this was altogether different.”
(Uhlman, F. Reunion, 2015, Penguin Random House, p. 27)
Why is it so difficult to connect with the suffering of “the other”? Why does one story of suffering stay with us while another does not? Is it because one story is told and the other is not? The book emphasises the relationship between the suffering of others—people as statistics versus people as stories. Storytelling, therefore, serves as a way to humanise or re-humanise “the numbers.”
This story of friendship between Hans and Konrad also highlights the importance of questioning and doubting the status quo, and the narratives handed down by elders—especially when those narratives draw a distinction between “us” and “them,” where “them” refers to fellow members of the same community.
This leads to the broader message about the importance of learning history, embracing diversity of thought, and avoiding the imposition of religious or ideological beliefs—even on loved ones. The novel illustrates the consequences of having only one view of reality. Privileging the achievements of one nation, social group, or community is likely to make us ignorant and closed-minded. The uniqueness of one’s culture should not be confused with its superiority.
The messages that emerge from this book remind us of the need to look at history from different perspectives to avoid tribalism; to value plural identities; and to question the narratives presented by the media, politicians, and sometimes even academia.
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