RaveJewish Book CouncilThis is, at its heart, a philosophical novel ... If the novel has a weak point, it is that the population of Duma (aside from Zelnik) lacks the resistance to political abuse that one would expect such refugees to exhibit ... Still, it’s a minor concern that’s largely eclipsed by Solomon’s point about the connection between fascism and art. With clear, muscular prose and a world that comes to life in all its strange detail, A Brutal Design is a strong debut from an author with something to say.
