I had absolutely no knowledge of these events, as I was one year old when all of this took place, and my “great” public school education taught me nothing about this. Some events (especially during the Revolution protests) were true accounts told to Sepetys from survivors and re-written for her characters, which is just so heartbreaking. The citizens were secretly watched and listened to at every point in their day, and it’s easy to see how fear and suspicion can fester when you never know who you can trust. Families had to wait in ration lines upwards of an entire day to get a single potato. Romanian money had no value since everything was rationed, so bribes often occurred in the forms of cartons of cigarettes for things like healthcare and dentistry.
In the back pages of the book, Sepetys provides some pictures from places and events that are detailed in the story and explains her research methods and interviews that she conducted while writing this book. The amount of research and detail about these historical events was extremely thorough and reminded me of the research that Lisa See does for her own historical fiction. The chapters are short and the book is a fast read. Sepetys writes wonderfully haunting, yet hopeful historical fiction stories that I now believe are must reads. My only complaint is that when the Revolution begins, it feels like the story progresses almost too quickly, which is why I would dock a half-star. This may have been intentional in order to keep it in the YA category, because even what we do read about during the Revolution and protesting is still pretty jarring.
I plan to read the rest of Sepetys’ work, especially since I know how much love and care she puts into getting the historical elements exactly right. If you’re looking for a fast paced read with lovable characters, and maybe looking to learn a thing or two, I highly recommend I Must Betray You!
In the back pages of the book, Sepetys provides some pictures from places and events that are detailed in the story and explains her research methods and interviews that she conducted while writing this book. The amount of research and detail about these historical events was extremely thorough and reminded me of the research that Lisa See does for her own historical fiction. The chapters are short and the book is a fast read. Sepetys writes wonderfully haunting, yet hopeful historical fiction stories that I now believe are must reads. My only complaint is that when the Revolution begins, it feels like the story progresses almost too quickly, which is why I would dock a half-star. This may have been intentional in order to keep it in the YA category, because even what we do read about during the Revolution and protesting is still pretty jarring.
I plan to read the rest of Sepetys’ work, especially since I know how much love and care she puts into getting the historical elements exactly right. If you’re looking for a fast paced read with lovable characters, and maybe looking to learn a thing or two, I highly recommend I Must Betray You!