Over dinner she says that she sees it would be unkind not to let him go but still he has to wait for confirmation, 'as though the word 'yes' was buried in her throat, deep beneath the mouthful of pie.' It is only when she says that he will see how gentle the climate is there that Gustav knows he has her permission. Emilie says no at first, but hours later Gustav can see she has been crying. For example, fairly early in the story, the Zweibels invite Gustav to go on holiday with them to Davos. She is a master at leaving gaps for the reader to fill in and really feel what is happening. Rose Tremain is a tremendous writer and her literary powers are displayed to great effect in this novel. Finally, the narrative shifts forward to 1992 and tells the rest of Gustav and Anton's story from their mid-forties onwards. The book then moves back in time and explores the lives and marriage of Gustav's parents during World War II, explaining Emilie's hatred of the Jews and her dismay at Gustav's friendship with Anton. In the first, we follow the boys until they are around ten years old. The novel has three distinct time frames. While Anton's Jewish family members live in relative financial comfort and focus on the boy's potential future as a concert pianist, Gustav and his bitter, widowed mother, Emilie who blames the death of her husband on Jewish people in general struggle to have enough to eat. They are both quiet, thoughtful children and neither has siblings. Gustav Perle and Anton Zweibel are only five years old when they first meet in 1948. The Gustav Sonata is a moving novel which describes the lifelong friendship between two Swiss men. This touching story about the friendship between two boys offers a peek at neutral Switzerland during World War II.

The gustav sonata by rose tremain