Totally absorbing' TLS ‘Heym was unique in the history of European literature’ Telegraph ‘A leading figure in the East German literary scene.’ Tony Judt 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.