The Gustav Sonata: A Novel

Rose Tremain

Sep 2016 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award for Fiction

A poignant tale about the enduring friendship between two men under the shadow of the Second World War.

Gustav Perle grows up in a small town in Switzerland, where the horrors of the Second World War seem only a distant echo. An only child, he lives alone with Emilie, the mother he adores but who treats him with bitter severity. He begins an intense friendship with a Jewish boy his age, talented and mercurial Anton Zweibel, a budding concert pianist. The novel follows Gustav’s family, tracing the roots of his mother’s anti-Semitism and its impact on her son and his beloved friend. Moving backward to the war years and the painful repercussions of an act of conscience, and forward through the lives and careers of the two men, one who becomes a hotel owner, the other a concert pianist, The Gustav Sonata explores the passionate love of childhood friendship as it is lost, transformed, and regained over a lifetime. It is a powerful and deeply moving addition to the beloved oeuvre of one of our greatest contemporary novelists.

Ratings and reviews

Not knowing much about Switzerland during WWll, I found the historical descriptions interesting. Also learning that one of the main characters, Gustav's father was based on a real policeman who helped to save Jews increased my enjoyment of the book. A well written book with interesting characters, Gustav in particular, this was a good read and engendered an excellent book club discussion.

Such a great story. Unlike anything I've ever read before. A great wwII plot with a few curveballs u don't expect.

About the author

Rose Tremain's prize-winning books, including The Road Home, The Gustav Sonata, Merivel, and The American Lover, have been published in thirty countries. Chancellor of the University of East Anglia, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and member of the Royal Society of Literature, she lives in Norfolk, England with the biographer Richard Holmes.