The Toy Maker is the intriguing tale of Arkady Kulakov, dynasty-founding toy maker and Adam, his problematic grandson and heir. Then there is Tess, Adam’s longsuffering, but smart and hardworking wife. Arkady’s earlier life is told in flashback throughout the book, beginning with his traumatic experiences during WWII.
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Arkady was sent to Auschwitz, where he became the unwilling assistant of Nazi Dr Dieter Pfeiffer, who performed autopsies and pathology tests on Mengele’s failed experiments on Jewish children. Arkady was able to carve rough wooden figurines with a stolen scalpel for the children who survived, but paid dearly when the scalpel was discovered missing.
Two generations later, Adam Kulakov is theoretically at the helm of Mitty & Sarah, the Melbourne toy company founded by his grandfather Arkady. Unfortunately, Adam is not blessed with good business instincts and makes reckless and desperate decisions to get himself out of trouble, the consequences of which could bring the company to its knees.
Tess is the only real hope to save the company from complete ruin, as she begins tracking the mysterious disappearance of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company’s books with Arkady’s help. While she is learning the hitherto unknown intricacies of the company, her wayward husband embarks on a disastrous course of action without her knowledge.
Liam Pieper has written a stunning debut novel with a shattering final twist that will leave you breathless (and perhaps even outraged) from its impact. His exploration of the darker side of human nature, survival at any cost and the dire consequences of keeping too many secrets will keep you clamouring for more from this outstanding new author.
The Toy Maker
Liam Pieper
Penguin Random House Australia