The Gustav Sonata: A Novel

"If I could make you read one book this year — 2016, year of sorrow and division and pain — it would be The Gustav Sonata. Stop reading fake news stories on Facebook and enjoy this gorgeous meditation on what it means to stand by and what it means to stand up. The book takes place in post-World War II Switzerland, where the country is still figuring out what it meant to be neutral during the horror. Young Gustav is growing up in the shadow of his mother’s anger, and his father’s death — I don’t want to say more — and he’s learned to conceal and control himself to his detriment. That’s until he meets Anton, a young Jewish boy who becomes his dearest friend. There is a moment in this book toward the end where I sobbed quietly, wrote down a line, took stock of my life and continued reading. I wish you the same."