With Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys became a must-read author for me. The way she brings history to life captivates me, and I love the way she highlights lesser-known aspects of history. Consequently, I had high expectations for this book. It didn't disappoint!
This novel was tense and heartbreaking, and I couldn't put it down. Cristian could have been any seventeen-year-old, thinking ahead to university and crushing on the girl next door. Unlike most teenagers, though, he spent hours each day in line just waiting for scraps of food. He dreamed of tasting a banana. Because of the cold in winter, he didn't take his coat off, even inside the house. He lived in a climate of fear, distrust, and paranoia where he himself was forced to become an informer. Worst of all, he had no hope for a better future. Even so, things were beginning to change in other Communist countries, and Cristian was determined that those changes should come to Romania too.
This was a suspenseful read, often sad, but sometimes triumphant. I highly recommend it.
Thank you BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for the early read.
This novel was tense and heartbreaking, and I couldn't put it down. Cristian could have been any seventeen-year-old, thinking ahead to university and crushing on the girl next door. Unlike most teenagers, though, he spent hours each day in line just waiting for scraps of food. He dreamed of tasting a banana. Because of the cold in winter, he didn't take his coat off, even inside the house. He lived in a climate of fear, distrust, and paranoia where he himself was forced to become an informer. Worst of all, he had no hope for a better future. Even so, things were beginning to change in other Communist countries, and Cristian was determined that those changes should come to Romania too.
This was a suspenseful read, often sad, but sometimes triumphant. I highly recommend it.
Thank you BookishFirst and Penguin Teen for the early read.