Valley of Heaven and Earth is woven from strands of remembrance, intertwined with perspective and reflection. Jayson Mayer, the principal character, was raised in one of the most magnificent natural environments in the world, on the southern tip of Africa. The fishing village of Hermanus was populated by a diverse cast of locals including a community of several Jewish families who retained religion, tradition and identity in a society fraught with ethnic division and racism. After several decades spent living abroad, he revisits the landscape of his youth. With his irrepressible humour, Jonathan Zausmer reveals the drama, bliss and torment of childhood in this compelling work of autofiction.