The REUNION by Dan Walsh

The Reunion by Dan Walsh
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Bainbridge Press; 2nd edition (August 28, 2019)

Review by Gwen M. Plano

The Reunion by Dan Walsh is a story of interwoven journeys. The one constant is Aaron Miller, a maintenance man for a trailer park. When he returned from the Vietnam War, he was accompanied by PTSD and an addiction to his pain medication. His tortured behavior ended his marriage and elicited years of despair. Eventually, he got clean and tried to reunite with his family, but his former spouse told him to stay away.

Aaron channeled his innate goodness to the people in the trailer court, where he lived in a shed. Most of the residents had little hope and few resources, but Aaron was there for them, helping wherever he could. He became their go-to person and was their hero, even though Aaron never thought of himself in that light.

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“…sometimes people need to experience the blessing of thanking others for the kind things they’ve done, and the people who’ve done those kind things need to let them.”

The Reunion, by Dan Walsh

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The Reunion is a story I won’t forget. Though it begins slowly, the pace picks up after the first few chapters. Walsh introduces the characters, sets the stage, and reveals the past through flashbacks and unexpected friends, and then the book takes off. I couldn’t put it down. A disabled, troubled Veteran had captured my heart.

I highly recommend this book to readers who want to understand the struggles of some of our Veterans. Their heroic lives in battle are too often overlooked and more frequently associated with unemployment or addiction. Walsh goes behind the closed doors and shows us the tenderness residing in the shadows of an embattled past.

This story brought me to tears more than once. The themes of kindness and redemption touched me deeply. I began to understand that Aaron is each of us. We’re all trying to find our way, some more successfully than others. We’re all hurt and seek healing. We fail and hopefully, get back up again. Sometimes, we walk with others through their pain, but we always walk with our God, and Walsh demonstrates this truth through Aaron. This humble, impoverished man, a Medal of Honor recipient, had nothing, and yet, he had everything.

I give The Reunion four and a half powerful fish.

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I purchased the Kindle version of The Reunion.