I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is a historical fiction novel that has taken the reading community by storm. Published in February of 2022, the book caught the attention of many readers because of its themes of trust, betrayal, friendship, family, and power. It's based on Communist Romania and tells the story of how people were brutally treated. This is a crossover novel, meaning it is intended for both teenage and adult readers.
The story follows Cristian Florescu, a teenage boy living in 1989 Bucharest, Romania. He is blackmailed by the Securiate, the secret Romanian police, into becoming a reporter. Throughout the story Cristian questions his relationships with others and wonders who he can really trust. The book has mystery and clues that makes the reader question what is really going on as Cristian struggles to determine who he can trust and who he cannot.
What elevates this story above other books is the fact that it covers a time period in Romania that is often overlooked. Romania was under Communist rule from 1947 to 1989, which is fairly recent. Romanians were essentially living in a dictatorship. Authority was strict, nothing was private, they couldn't speak freely, housing conditions were poor, and overall they lacked basic human rights, all while the rest of the world was unaware of what was happening under Communist rule in Romania. All of these are expressed in the book and seen through the eyes of a teenager. Overall, this book has a strong plot, keeps the reader engaged and questioning, amazing writing, and teaches the reader a part of history. I believe that in a few years, this book can be on the same level as some of the classic historical fiction novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird. This book has taught me about a part of history I never knew existed and is very educational. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, loves a good mystery, or action-packed stories.
This book was written by New York Times and international bestseller Ruta Sepetys. She has written many historical fiction novels such as Salt to the Sea which takes place during World War II and The Fountains of Silence which is set in post-war Spain.The blog, “ I´m All Booked Up” says I Must Betray You is ¨insanely powerful¨ and “Frappes and Fiction” says, ¨Reading this book, I was shocked at everything that had been going on in Romania at this time and that I had never heard of.¨Sepetys said in an interview with News Channel 5 Nashville,¨I look for those underrepresented stories, those pieces of history that fall through the cracks.¨
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