Set in Europe beginning in 1937, this historical fiction novel follows a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student as he learns, falls in love, and ultimately copes with a war and oppression that ravaged Eastern Europe. This rich story is beautifully-written and celebrates the best that life has to offer as well as some of history’s greatest horrors. It’s a deep, absorbing, well-researched pick with wide appeal to readers of fiction and nonfiction alike.