The House of Special Purpose

Praise

“[Boyne] guides us through the realm of history and makes the journey substantial, poignant, and real. He is one of the great craftsmen in contemporary literature.” —Colum McCann, National Book Award–winning author of Let the Great World Spin
 
“A tour de force, at once epic and intimate, and above all a marvelous read.” —John Banville, Booker Prize–winning author of The Sea 
 
“[The House of Special Purpose] translates big issues of political change into more intimate, human terms…an exciting, fast-paced story that compels the reader through its seventy-year span…absorbing and richly satisfying.” —The Times (UK) 
 
“John Boyne’s haunting novel travels to the heart of the Russian empire.” —BBC
“A thrilling historical novel rooted in the Russian revolution and the end of Romanov czars…a gripping story.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune 

“Boyne re-creates both Georgy’s personal life and the life of pre-Revolutionary Russia with astonishing density and power.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 
 
“[A] suspenseful and touching novel…ingeniously constructed and gripping…[Boyne] skillfully evokes the wrenching pain of loss and exile while presenting a tribute to enduring love.” —Booklist 

“A wonderful, many-layered novel, written with thought and tenderness…mesmerizing.” ―Irish Examiner

“Boyne writes with consummate ease and is particularly good at drawing the indecently rich world of the pre-revolutionary Romanovs.” —The Independent (UK) 
 
“John Boyne has a talent for bringing big historical events to life…Here once again he draws on past events to create a gripping drama.” ―Daily Express

“Boyne exercises total control over pace and revelation. A work that chimes perfectly with our times.” —Irish Times
 
“A riveting, bittersweet tale of love, loss, and intrigue…a spell-binding journey and a compelling read.” —Winnipeg Free Press
 
“In this richly textured, audaciously imagined alternate history, John Boyne chronicles a long and complex marriage forged out of the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. Georgy and Zoya are a memorable pair of lovers, and as this ingeniously structured narrative takes us deeper and deeper into their shared past, our understanding of their unremarkable present is increasingly colored by the extraordinary secrets, regrets, and guilt they carry within them.” —Paul Russell, author of The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov