Summers Past

The journey of life is a cumulative one, and we often bring the past with us wherever we go. In this epic novel from Richard Gerber, readers enter the mind of a wild youth, Phil, as he maneuvers through the many perils and pleasures of South Africa at the tail end of Apartheid. His erotic escapades carry him past the heartbreaking betrayal of his past which never truly leaves him, and we see the boy mature into a man.

The scope of the novel expands when Phil’s path leads to Switzerland, a mysterious and sinister country that is both frightening and fascinating for him and the only true love of his life, Kate. As Phil becomes more embroiled in the world of Swiss intelligence we see our characters begin to develop psychologically, after their long youth of physical desire and hedonism.

This book takes nearly a lifetime to tell, and over the four decades encompassed in this novel, we explore the intimate lives and thoughts of a diverse cast, growing and evolving with them as they stumble through the ever-increasing complexity of their adult lives.

Fortune and ancient desires carry Phil to a summer paradise from his youth, and the building forces of love and forgotten betrayal begin to mount. Janet, Phil’s first love, and her unpredictable husband, Jim, come into the foreground of the novel as worlds collide. Phil’s life is turned upside down when he replaces his obsessions of Switzerland with obsessions of an even more dangerous nature. Kate is left hanging by the thread of marital bliss, finding her peace with who she had always been, and who she wanted to become. Janet is torn between a safe, oppressive existence and a dangerous fling into her long lost past. Jim feels the blade at his back as his own criminal dealings come full circle to threaten everything he has worked to build. And then there is Julian, the black-clad stranger who has suddenly reappeared in Phil’s life like a ghost from the past.

As this novel climaxes, we see the minds of our characters torn by self-doubt, pain, love, and hope, and the full scope of human emotion is laid bare in this small drama that feels somehow universal. Set against a rich historical background of South Africa in various tumultuous points in its history, this novel delivers a full-flavored shot of life for readers thirsty for high-stakes drama, erotic encounters, endless suspense, and a captivating story that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

For anyone who has ever chased the past, only to find that time changes all things, this novel is a brutal and beautiful adventure through the many lives and loves of an extraordinary man. Will he find redemption after a lifetime of secrets? Or will his past finally catch him – with deadly consequences?

Find out in Richard Gerber’s riveting novel of love, lust, and the loss of innocence.

A post-modernist romance thriller of epic proportions.