A Brutal Design
A Brutal Design
“An uncompromising portrait of the human psyche.”
—Soon Wiley, author of When We Fell Apart
After the fascist takeover of his homeland and the murder of his parents, Jewish architecture student Samuel Zelnik thinks that he and his friends are bound for the gulag—or worse. Instead, he receives an unexpected offer of freedom working in the experimental utopian city of Duma.
Awed by the city’s dramatic architecture but confused by the other residents’ strange behavior, Zelnik searches for his long-lost uncle who emigrated to Duma before him. His wanderings reunite him with Miriana Grannoff, an exiled avant-garde artist who was once his teacher. Her memorial installations hidden around the city equally enchant and repel him. And gradually, they begin to reveal a truth: Duma is not the workers’ paradise it pretends to be.
Praise for A Brutal Design
“Part utopia, part dystopia, Zachary C. Solomon’s smart, accomplished novel wears its ambitions proudly on its sleeves. A Brutal Design is attentive to the brutalities of history even as it trains its eyes on the future. It’s an engrossing and powerful debut.”
—Joshua Henkin, author of Morningside Heights
“Through its magnetic and momentous descent into the darkness that lurks beneath the surface of the desert utopia Duma, A Brutal Design convincingly depicts the insidious way that ideological oppression can seep into the world around us. There were moments in Solomon’s novel that truly frightened me, and yet, like its narrator, Samuel Zelnik, I found myself obsessively compelled to uncover its mysteries. This is a haunting, thought-provoking novel that shows a place where the senseless meets reality.”
—Gabe Habash, author of Stephen Florida
“With searing prose and breakneck pace, A Brutal Design delves into the terrifying and prescient intersections of art, fascism, and belief in one’s ideals. An uncompromising portrait of the human psyche and overflowing with philosophical depth, Solomon’s debut impresses and stays with you, long after you finish the book.”
—Soon Wiley, author of When We Fell Apart
“A Brutal Design is a deft blend of sci-fi, noir, and a dash of Sebald that examines our yearning for utopia. It is propelled by unease, yet funny and beautiful, too. Once I started reading it, I could not stop.”
—Erin Somers, author of Stay Up With Hugo Best
“A Brutal Design is an absurdist, falling-down-the-rabbit-hole adventure packed with dark mysteries, startling images, and surreal encounters. At the same time, this book is keenly political, rich with implications for both the past and the future. Through his evocation of the ostensibly utopian city of Duma, Zachary C. Solomon deftly explores the relationships between art, bureaucracy, violence, and political control. This is an exhilarating and boldly original debut.”
—Helen Phillips, author of The Need
“With commanding intelligence and dystopian foresight, A Brutal Design secures Zachary C. Solomon's place in the world of letters with a voice steeped in history, literature, art, and philosophy, and maturity beyond its years. His taut, elegantly written, and exquisitely bleak novel presciently pits fascism against dwindling humanity, asking: Do we value life little enough that we’d exchange it for “advancement and comfort”? This is a haunting, sinister, and brilliant debut.”
—Sara Lippmann, author of Lech
