Erich is Assistant Chief of Police and is entitled to a large apartment on a prominent street as a result of his marriage. Shortly afterwards, Emilie becomes pregnant and they get married. Emilie and Erich meet each other for the first time on Swiss National Day. Anton’s family invited Gustav on a vacation to Davos with them, during which Anton and Gustav shared a kiss. Anton began performing in piano recitals but his anxious nature made it impossible for him to play well.

In her absence, Gustav was sexually molested by a neighbor but kept this to himself rather than ask for any help. Emilie disapproved of their friendship because Anton’s family were Jewish and Emilie blamed Jewish people for the fate that befell her husband Erich, leaving her to live in poverty with Gustav.Įmilie fell ill and was hospitalized. A new boy, Anton, started at Gustav’s school and they became close friends after Gustav soothed Anton’s crying. Emilie instructed Gustav that he must become the master of his emotions. Gustav grew up in a small flat with his mother Emilie who told him that his late father had been a hero during the war who had saved the lived of Jewish refugees. The novel follows Gustav into adulthood as his difficult relationships with his mother Emilie and best friend Anton force Gustav to acknowledge his buried emotions. The Gustav Sonata explores the damaging results of Swiss neutrality during World War Two by exploring its impact on the life of Gustav Perle, a young boy born growing up in Matzlingen, Switzerland during the aftermath of the war. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Tremain, Rose.

The gustav sonata by rose tremain