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The Reunion is the story of an Anglo-German family: Hugo Mauer, a former German POW; his daughter, Cornish-born Hanne, and his niece, Heike, who defects to East Germany to live the life of a communist.Summer 1963. Hugo, his wife Rene and young family set out from Cornwall to introduce their children to their Bavarian cousins at a family reunion. His belief: that if children are brought up to know one another, there will be no more wars. However, there is one thing he hasn't taken into consideration—The Wall.The journey in a Morris Minor van is long and tedious. On the continent, memories of his wartime experiences are triggered, and Hugo finds that the 'ghosts' of his past haunt him at every turn...Geoff Pridmore says, "The novel was inspired by my wife, Helene, whose father was a former German POW who became a successful flower grower in West Cornwall. Her recollection of a long journey in a cramped Morris Minor van to her father's family home in Bavaria in 19Pages of The Reunion :