4.5⭐️
Ruta Sepetys is well-known for capturing and highlighting the moments in history that aren’t commonly taught in educational curricula. She has such a talent for drawing you into a story and making you feel all the things these fictional characters are feeling while also including subtle reminders that the devastation and heartbreak included in her books unfortunately aren’t all fiction. I only started reading her books this year and she’s quickly become one of my favorite authors. I’m so excited to be able to talk about how much I thoroughly enjoyed another work of hers.
I Must Betray You takes place in communist Romania only a few decades ago when the country was under the dictatorial rule of Nicolae Ceausescu. The story follows Cristian, a boy who dreams of becoming a writer but must put these dreams on hold for the safety of himself and his family. When he is blackmailed by Romania’s secret police to become an informant and report on his fellow Romanians as well as the son of a U.S. diplomat, Cristian struggles with deciding between doing what is safe for those he loves and what is right for his country.
This book had such a dystopian feel to it, very similar to the sentiments expressed in 1984, but this is drawing from a piece of reality. I was so immersed through the writing and the internal conflict of the characters. I can’t imagine being forced to live in such a paranoid state all the time. Cristian, his family and friends all had to live by the motto of trust no one in order to avoid punishment from the Securitate, or the secret police.
As with all books by this author, I was left with a lasting impression and she has again accomplished her goal of not letting the suffering or the triumphs of these people go forgotten.
Ruta Sepetys is well-known for capturing and highlighting the moments in history that aren’t commonly taught in educational curricula. She has such a talent for drawing you into a story and making you feel all the things these fictional characters are feeling while also including subtle reminders that the devastation and heartbreak included in her books unfortunately aren’t all fiction. I only started reading her books this year and she’s quickly become one of my favorite authors. I’m so excited to be able to talk about how much I thoroughly enjoyed another work of hers.
I Must Betray You takes place in communist Romania only a few decades ago when the country was under the dictatorial rule of Nicolae Ceausescu. The story follows Cristian, a boy who dreams of becoming a writer but must put these dreams on hold for the safety of himself and his family. When he is blackmailed by Romania’s secret police to become an informant and report on his fellow Romanians as well as the son of a U.S. diplomat, Cristian struggles with deciding between doing what is safe for those he loves and what is right for his country.
This book had such a dystopian feel to it, very similar to the sentiments expressed in 1984, but this is drawing from a piece of reality. I was so immersed through the writing and the internal conflict of the characters. I can’t imagine being forced to live in such a paranoid state all the time. Cristian, his family and friends all had to live by the motto of trust no one in order to avoid punishment from the Securitate, or the secret police.
As with all books by this author, I was left with a lasting impression and she has again accomplished her goal of not letting the suffering or the triumphs of these people go forgotten.