John Boyne 
House of Special Purpose 

Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign.Eighty year old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past – a past of death, suffering and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days. Living in England with his beloved wife Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him.As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to St. Petersburg in the early 20th century, to the Winter Palace of the Tsar. A time of change, threat and bloody revolution.And as Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.From the Hardcover edition.