The plot centers on a young family: philologist Seda and architect Sarkis. In April 1991, they welcome the beginning of a new life with hope—the birth of an independent Armenia. But as the Karabakh war, which began in 1989, and the economic blockade continue, the family faces trials: famine, political devastation, and the loss of loved ones. The decade of independence turns into a nightmare. They betray each other, make mistakes, and leave for different countries. The surviving family members will gather for the last time 20 years later to draw a line under the past.

Galina Yuzefovich on 'Dismantling': 'I think this is an extremely enlightening novel, which tells us a lot about Armenia, seen, on the one hand, through the prism of Russian-language culture and the Russian literary tradition, while at the same time being deeply rooted in an understanding of this region. That is, such a very vivid and interesting example of post-colonial prose—prose written in the language of the empire, but rooted in the language and culture of the former colony.'