Summary

Gustav Sonata follows the lives of Gustav Perle and his friends and family throughout the latter half of the twentieth century in Switzerland, as the residents of the Swiss town of Matzlingen process the psychological fallout of Swiss neutrality during World War Two.

The first chapter of Part 1 - “Mutti” - takes place in 1947. Gustav was five years old and living with his mother Emilie Perle in a small and sparsely furnished flat. Once a year, Emilie bought flowers for a shrine in their home to Gustav’s deceased father Erich Perle. Emilie said Erich was a hero but that he was treated unfairly. Erich had been the Assistant Chief of Police at one time and the couple used to have an apartment on a prominent street. Emilie taught Gustav that he had to be like his home country of Switzerland...