Title- I Must Betray You
Author- Ruta Sepetys
Publisher- Hodder Children's Books
Pages- 322
Rating- 5/5
Summary- After the Second World War, Romania became an allied nation of the Soviet Union. As a result, communism took hold leading to forced abdication of the king. In the 1960s, Nicolae Ceaușescu became the new leader and eventually the country entered a world of dictatorship. In order to continue with his tyranny, Ceaușescu isolated Romania from the rest of the world. His secret police force, the Securitate assisted him in his autocracy and they recruited civilian informers by force. As a result, the citizens were unable to trust each other, thereby helping Ceaușescu in isolating them from one another. This is a story of that time from the point of view of the younger generation telling us how the common people suffered and the sacrifices of the students in liberating Romania from the clutches of the tyrant.
Review- Like with her other books which I have read, Ruta Sepetys has not failed to captivate me with this one too. She has definitely done a lot of research before writing this. Her perfect description of life during Ceaușescu's regime had transported me to Romania during 1989 and along with Cristian I was also feeling uneasy about the Securitate agents. During his rule, people who spoke against the government were brutally punished. It was quite shocking that the government used to breach privacy by installing secret listening devices inside the homes of the people which led to people whispering inside their homes and coming out on the streets when they needed to discuss anything private. It was quite distressing to know that all food items were rationed and only five eggs were allotted to each family per month.
Cristian Florescu, the protagonist and narrator of the story is a brave and intelligent boy who does not lose hope even after falling into the trap of the Securitate. When they recruit him as an informer, he does not sell his humanity to be in the good books of the regime and his love for his motherland is very intense. His main inspiration is his grandfather who is as fearless as him and unlike other family members, refuses to talk in whispers inside the house. Florescu's sister Cici, cares for him and always asks him to be careful and not to trust anyone. Florescu is madly in love with his neighbour Liliana who also has feelings for him. His bestfriend Luca is another well-wisher of him which he proves near the end of the book.
Photographs of Romania during Ceaușescu's regime at the end of the book has breathed life into the story and has helped to bridge the gap between imagination and reality. Readers who are interested in knowing about unfamiliar nevertheless important history of distant places must definitely get hold of this book.
Cristian Florescu, the protagonist and narrator of the story is a brave and intelligent boy who does not lose hope even after falling into the trap of the Securitate. When they recruit him as an informer, he does not sell his humanity to be in the good books of the regime and his love for his motherland is very intense. His main inspiration is his grandfather who is as fearless as him and unlike other family members, refuses to talk in whispers inside the house. Florescu's sister Cici, cares for him and always asks him to be careful and not to trust anyone. Florescu is madly in love with his neighbour Liliana who also has feelings for him. His bestfriend Luca is another well-wisher of him which he proves near the end of the book.
Photographs of Romania during Ceaușescu's regime at the end of the book has breathed life into the story and has helped to bridge the gap between imagination and reality. Readers who are interested in knowing about unfamiliar nevertheless important history of distant places must definitely get hold of this book.
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