Book review: The Gustav Sonata

WHETHER she’s writing about life during the Restoration, family dramas in the south of France or the plight of eastern European immigrants, Rose Tremain is a consummate storyteller.

At the core of her finely crafted tales are seemingly unremarkable characters whose inner lives throw a subtle light on the way human beings think and feel.

In The Gustav Sonata, two boys forge a lifelong friendship in post-war Switzerland.