Setting

Time setting

Peter Bradshaw's short story, “Reunion”, is set across several different timelines and settings. Recent and present events are probably intended to be read as contemporary to the time of publishing and happen in places like Tokyo (l. 19) or London (l. 21).

Past events took place in “the baking summer of 1976” (ll. 50-51) when the characters were children. The main events of the plot take place over “twenty-four hours” (l. 5), but they are mixed with various past events that function as background stories.

Physical setting

The physical setting includes various places and elements. In the present, we see Elliot sitting in the lobby of a hotel, waiting for his taxi:

So I’m sitting here in the hotel foyer on one of the big squashy sofas. I’ve checked out, paid the bill and my wheelie suitcase has the extendable handle up, ready to go. But the guy on reception says the taxi’s going to be another quarter of an hour. (ll. 1-3)

In one of the backstories, we see Elliot in his wife’s family house in Tokyo before she breaks up with him: “After the ceremony, back at the family home, we sat...