A Heartbreaking Account of Life and Revolution Under Communist Romania
In short, this book is incredible, and I think everyone should give it a read.
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is set in 1989 in Romania when the country is under the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. The story follows a 17-year-old boy, Cristian Florescu, as he navigates life under a strict and tyrannical system of control. When Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police, he becomes an informant, hoping that by being close to the enemy, he may gain information to use against them. The story follows Cristian as he navigates the physical and emotional consequences of his decisions under an oppressive regime while also attempting to maintain relationships with his friends and family amidst a layer of distrust.
On the one hand, this is a simple coming of age story. A young boy trying to discover what the meaning of his life is, who he wants to be, what he should believe in, and also interacting with his peers in all the ways a teenage boy does.
But saying this is a coming of age story is much too simplistic. Christian's story is representative of the story of millions of other children living under Ceaușescu who were forced to grow up with unspeakable horrors playing out as if they were normality. While Cristian does undergo a transformation throughout the book, it is a transformation that is forced upon him by circumstance. He must choose: fight for his country or live in perpetual isolation, fear, and poverty.
I found this book to also be very fast-paced. While it is a historical fiction, I found myself flipping the pages, needing to know what happened next to Cristian and his friends.
I also found the main character to have a rich inner dialogue that was nuanced and realistic. I appreciated the interplay between his grappling with the current events of the time while his mind is also occupied by the girl he has a crush on. I found the characters to be well-rounded, and they showed so much spirit and strength in the face of adversity, which was equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking.
Sepetys does a wonderful job setting the scene for the reader. Her writing style is simple yet powerful as she re-creates the oppression of the time in stark terms. Make no mistake -- this is not an easy read. It is heart-breaking and at times difficult to read. Despite it being a Young Adult novel, it was just as impactful to me as an adult reader. The fact that it is based on true events makes it all the more gut-wrenching.
This is also one of the things I love about Ruta Sepetys. She is expert at bringing to light areas of history that have been glossed over or not covered at all by traditional history courses. I knew next to nothing about the history of Romania, and this glimpse into a small portion of its history under Communism has inspired me to learn more about the region.
If I had one complaint, I would say that Cristian sometimes comes off as being a bit younger than 17 in some of his actions and thoughts, but I didn't find that it detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.
All in all, I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. I was completely emotionally invested in the story and truly only wish the book were longer.
A HUGE thank you to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for a copy of this book for my honest review!
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is set in 1989 in Romania when the country is under the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. The story follows a 17-year-old boy, Cristian Florescu, as he navigates life under a strict and tyrannical system of control. When Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police, he becomes an informant, hoping that by being close to the enemy, he may gain information to use against them. The story follows Cristian as he navigates the physical and emotional consequences of his decisions under an oppressive regime while also attempting to maintain relationships with his friends and family amidst a layer of distrust.
On the one hand, this is a simple coming of age story. A young boy trying to discover what the meaning of his life is, who he wants to be, what he should believe in, and also interacting with his peers in all the ways a teenage boy does.
But saying this is a coming of age story is much too simplistic. Christian's story is representative of the story of millions of other children living under Ceaușescu who were forced to grow up with unspeakable horrors playing out as if they were normality. While Cristian does undergo a transformation throughout the book, it is a transformation that is forced upon him by circumstance. He must choose: fight for his country or live in perpetual isolation, fear, and poverty.
I found this book to also be very fast-paced. While it is a historical fiction, I found myself flipping the pages, needing to know what happened next to Cristian and his friends.
I also found the main character to have a rich inner dialogue that was nuanced and realistic. I appreciated the interplay between his grappling with the current events of the time while his mind is also occupied by the girl he has a crush on. I found the characters to be well-rounded, and they showed so much spirit and strength in the face of adversity, which was equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking.
Sepetys does a wonderful job setting the scene for the reader. Her writing style is simple yet powerful as she re-creates the oppression of the time in stark terms. Make no mistake -- this is not an easy read. It is heart-breaking and at times difficult to read. Despite it being a Young Adult novel, it was just as impactful to me as an adult reader. The fact that it is based on true events makes it all the more gut-wrenching.
This is also one of the things I love about Ruta Sepetys. She is expert at bringing to light areas of history that have been glossed over or not covered at all by traditional history courses. I knew next to nothing about the history of Romania, and this glimpse into a small portion of its history under Communism has inspired me to learn more about the region.
If I had one complaint, I would say that Cristian sometimes comes off as being a bit younger than 17 in some of his actions and thoughts, but I didn't find that it detracted from my enjoyment of the novel.
All in all, I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. I was completely emotionally invested in the story and truly only wish the book were longer.
A HUGE thank you to BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for a copy of this book for my honest review!