Daunt Books

It is 1956, and Daniel Wollin returns to East Germany after sixteen years of Soviet imprisonment. A brilliant architect, Daniel is taken in by his former colleague, Arnold Sundstrom, who has become hugely successful since their exile in Moscow. Together, the two men work to redesign the nation for the Communist future.

But with Daniel’s arrival, Arnold’s young wife, Julia, begins to uncover the lies that hold her marriage together and the mystery behind her own parents’ deaths in Russia many years ago. A novel of political intrigue and personal betrayal, The Architects tells a story of love and friendship in a world governed by surveillance and mistrust.

A German Jew and a Communist who escaped the Nazis as a young man, Heym fled to America and fought in the U.S. Army before returning to East Germany in the 50s to escape the anti-Communist purges in America. Denounced by Honecker in 1965, Heym lived under state surveillance for many years, and his novels were banned from publication. He died in Israel in 2001.

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