City of Thieves / David Benioff

Set during the brutal siege of Leningrad in World War II, City of Thieves tells the story of Lev Beniov, a seventeen-year-old arrested for looting, and Kolya, a spirited young soldier charged with desertion. Thrown together in a freezing prison cell, the two are offered a bizarre chance to save their lives: find a dozen eggs for a Soviet colonel’s daughter’s wedding cake. Their desperate search through a starving city and a devastated countryside becomes both a darkly comic quest and a moving tale of survival, friendship, and the absurdities of war. David Benioff blends adventure, coming-of-age, and historical drama in this vivid, unforgettable novel.