I give this book 5 stars because it is so clean, so well written, so unusual in its deliverance. Just when I thought that I could not read one more book about WWII, the camps and the brutality. That is not this book. It is based in Switzerland, governed by neutrality , containing of oneself. Starting with two little boys, it backtracks to Gustav's parents and then forward to the men as adults. Tremain accomplishes this seamlessly. This book leaves a lasting impression of people who live through war, without delving into details of devastation and destruction, not an easy feat.