Gustav Preller

Curveball Gustav Preller

What Thomas Bland, formerly senior manager now plain senior, expects upon his retirement in the seaside city of Durban isn't remotely what he gets. His wife, Caro, leaves him, and he loses friends through betrayal, illness, and murder - events that threaten to destroy what little relevance he has left in the world. All the while, socio-political storm clouds are gathering over South Africa with most of its citizens, including Tom, either inured to them or choosing not to see them. His dream shattered, Tom seeks love before it is too late. This time he gets more than he hopes for. After decades in a straightjacket at the office, his edges blunted by corporate convention, he goes on a hedonistic trip of Roman proportions. He also finds a dream island in the tropics, a surfing paradise, where he spends happy days. But matters reach a tipping point as Tom's personal journey and the fate of the country converge. Tom gets caught up in events bigger than he could ever have imagined, and he has to fight for his life, and love.