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A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
4.0
3.5 stars.
There are wonderful things in this novel, and like most of Rose Tremain's work, there's always a spiky underside to everything she writes. When it opens, the friendship between Gustav and Anton seems simple and sweet, but the story quickly takes on extra layers to include the story of Gustav's parents, of the Swiss during WW2, of saving desperate Jews or not, of ignoring the terrible whole thing lurking at the border.
The relationship between the Gustav and Anton morphs and changes, as does Gustav's with Anton's mother and Gustav's father's lover. Love or friendship? The right way or self-preservation? "The Gustav Sonata" is a good novel for discussion, and not an easy one to leave behind.
There are wonderful things in this novel, and like most of Rose Tremain's work, there's always a spiky underside to everything she writes. When it opens, the friendship between Gustav and Anton seems simple and sweet, but the story quickly takes on extra layers to include the story of Gustav's parents, of the Swiss during WW2, of saving desperate Jews or not, of ignoring the terrible whole thing lurking at the border.
The relationship between the Gustav and Anton morphs and changes, as does Gustav's with Anton's mother and Gustav's father's lover. Love or friendship? The right way or self-preservation? "The Gustav Sonata" is a good novel for discussion, and not an easy one to leave behind.