This work had me absolutely gripped almost from the very first page. I palpably felt the fear of the main protagonist and genuinely had no idea throughout the novel what was about to come. Michael's success lies in the gradual reveal; there is layer upon layer of uncertainty and unknown, ratcheting up the tension. The premise: what if a nemesis from your past inadvertently meets you at a conference and triggers a series of repressed memories and actions? Worse, imagine if you, the protagonist, had seemingly reinvented yourself and moved on, yet your nemesis remains scarred by prior events and is keen for some sort of resolution? As a result, Reservoir is gripping, a novel about the lies we tell both to others and to ourselves. It is also a meditation on the accuracy and reliability of memory. Couched in the context of a psychotherapist's conference on criminal behaviour, the debate is even more interesting: when does childish play end and malicious intent begin? How might one person's interpretation of an event, both as a child and as an adult, with the blurring of time and memory, vary? The academic overlay of a very personal trauma only reinforced the power of Michael's messaging. I was pleased also to see Thomas Nagel's ‘Bat’ essay referenced — Reservoir continued with power to its close, with another great reveal in the final sentence. 10 out of 10.
By Livi Michael