I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

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Title: I Must Betray You
Author: Ruta Sepetys
Published by: Philomel Books
Release Date: February 1, 2022
Format: ebook
Pages: 335
Genres: Historical, Suspense, Young Adult
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »torture, violence « Hide Spoiler
Source: Overdrive
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks
My rating:

Blurb:

A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.

Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.
Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?

Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.

My Review:

4 stars — This is definitely outside my normal genre to read, but I kind of loved how it allowed me to learn of some little known (in the West) history through a fictional perspective.  I’m just not as interested in non-fiction, so I loved having this opportunity to expand my horizons while still giving me a compelling story with characters I could connect with.  I really appreciated reading the author’s note at the end, so I could see all the research she put into it, and the pieces of others stories the author incorporated.

Cristian was a pretty solid main character to follow.  I felt his sorrow and despair.  I felt his anger.  I felt his confusion and guilt.  I felt his terror and paranoia.  And I felt his teenage arrogance and rebellion.  It made me so anxious at times, but I also cheered for him risking so much for what he knew could be possible.  I think the bits of the story that really shined were the writings in his notebook, and his conversations with Bunu.  Oh yeah, and as a romantic, I enjoyed the crush and developing relationship with Lilliana in the midst of what was truly a crazy time.

I will admit, I think I expected my emotions to be even more overwrought while reading this, but I honestly spent a lot of time horrified by the conditions that they lived in.  I just didn’t connect at the depth I think I was expecting to.  It’s not a criticism, just a curiosity I guess.

It was definitely a compelling read, as well as being easy — great for teenagers I would think.