Spud: The Reunion. Photo: Pan Macmillan / Supplied 
This newest instalment in the “Spud” series drops readers straight into the middle of Spud Milton’s “one-third life crisis” — a deliciously relatable stage where dreams are stalled, reality bites, and former classmates seem to be living in luxury villas while you’re just scraping by.
The result? A poignant and punchy return to the beloved Spud universe, filled with belly laughs, biting wit, and a dose of self-reflection that cuts uncomfortably close to home.
From the outset Van de Ruit’s vivid, uproarious descriptions feel quintessentially South African, setting the tone for a novel brimming with charm and candor.
Readers find Spud, now 28 years old, back home in Durban North. Partly to support his family and partly because, well, where else would he go? It’s a life stage that many readers will recognise: when the world feels a little smaller and disappointment a little larger.
Spud’s home life is as chaotic as ever. His perpetually disapproving mother, cantankerous grandmother, and mischievous family dog named Francois Pienaar, round out the Milton household’s eccentric dynamics.
Old friends and new realities
This chaos ramps up when Spud receives an invitation to his high school’s 10-year reunion — an event that looms over him like a bad hangover waiting to happen. A reunion promises awkward questions and old friendships better left undisturbed. Unsurprisingly Spud doesn’t want to attend.
Enter the Crazy Eight, Spud’s high school gang. Greyer, balder, and just as emotionally stunted, they pull Spud back into their wild camaraderie, dragging him to the reunion.
This weekend-long event becomes a stage for Van de Ruit’s sharp commentary on masculinity, nostalgia, and the discomfort of confronting one’s younger self. The Crazy Eight’s reactions to their former school are comedy gold: grumbling about the cushy upgrades enjoyed by current students and lamenting the prefects’ “chop shop” being replaced by, heaven forbid, standardised rooms. It’s a brilliant portrayal of how the past always seems tougher, rowdier, and somehow better in our memories.
The dynamics between the Crazy Eight are both hilarious and heartbreaking. As they reunite, their interactions reveal an awkward blend of laughter, caution, and self-consciousness. Spud captures this tension perfectly as he muses: “Lifelong friendships didn’t quite fit for what the Crazy Eight were, but I suppose time will tell.”
Time, however, has a way of exposing the cracks. The group’s blend of nostalgia, bitterness, and longing for their lost youth challenges them to reconcile their former selves with the people they’ve become.
Life’s awkward truths served with a smile
Van de Ruit perfectly balances slapstick comedy with moments of deep introspection. Readers will snort at the antics of rugby days, fancy dinners, and drunken golf escapades, only to pause at Spud’s quieter reckonings: his disappointment in himself, his fears of irrelevance, and how time changes friendships in ways we can’t reconcile.
Fan-favourite characters like The Guv, Christine (Spud’s high school fling), and the feared dormitory head Sparerib make appearances that feel like delightful Easter eggs for long-time fans, but remain accessible for first-time readers.
The diary format of the book — marked by date entries instead of chapters — makes for compulsive reading. Each event flows seamlessly into the next, keeping readers hooked as they root for Spud to survive the reunion and emerge, if not triumphant, at least intact.
What makes Spud: The Reunion such a compelling read isn’t just the humour (though Van de Ruit’s wit is as sharp as ever), but its unflinching honesty.
Spud’s late-twenties blues resonates universally: the creeping realisation that life doesn’t always pan out the way we dreamed, the longing for simpler times, and the challenge of confronting who we were versus who we are.
Whether you’re a diehard Spud fan or new to the series, this book will make you laugh, wince, and — against your better judgment — reflect on your personal reunions, missed opportunities and messy friendships.
Nostalgic without being sentimental, funny without losing heart, Spud: The Reunion is a reminder that we are never really done growing up. DM
Spud: The Reunion by John van de Ruit is published by Pan Macmillan South Africa.